Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do not own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.

Remember the Fireflies

I felt the ship scrape against the sandy ocean floor and I looked up, taking in the familiar landscape that surrounded me. Grassy savannah plains rolled out for what seemed to be endlessly and tall mountains reared up out of the ground, standing strong against the sunrise. Stunted acacia trees dotted the landscape, their silvery bark gleaming with dewdrops.

I was home.

Champwan, Tom, Tucker, and Sonja stared at the landscape with wide eyes, clearly recognizing their old home, unchanged at the first glance. Jordan was sitting on the back of the ship, staring out into the ocean. He held a brown, tri-cornered hat in his hands and I wondered where he had gotten that, or what he was thinking about. Matt, Phil, and the wizard Tom were all quietly talking amongst themselves and I decided against eavesdropping. I knew they wouldn't appreciate it and they were a lot more powerful than I was right now. I didn't want to risk the possibility of a wizardly punishment.

"Let's go, guys," I whispered, the prospect of walking once more through these all-too familiar lands slightly daunting. This would be the first time I had come back in two years. I never dreamed I would be returning with my friends though.

My first few steps on the shores of Mianite almost overwhelmed me with a wave of nostalgia. I remembered the first time I had come to the land of Mianite - Champwan and I had been adrift for days, searching for a place where we could make our home. Our supplies had run out two days prior and we were practically starving. Then, we found this bountiful land of plenty, which seemed like a blessing from Mianite.

But now, as I walked farther into my old home, I began seeing things that reminded me of more recent events.

Shards of broken quartz on old stone bricks. Ruins of a small shop with tea plants growing from the floor. And of course, the mighty walls of Tucker and Sonja's house - crumbled and burned.

"Oh gods," Tucker whispered, staring up at the remains of his destroyed house. "It - it's gone."

"It took us so long to build too," Matt moaned, staring at a charred support beam. "What about everything else? Is it all gone?"

I stared at the grass beneath my feet, not wanting to meet my friend's horrified gazes. "I - I told the blazes to burn everything. Not excluding my old house. I wanted none of the past remaining."

Jordan whimpered and Champwan closed his eyes, swallowing. I had done so much damage to everyone, not just psychically, but emotionally too. I had literally destroyed their entire life, ripped apart families, and left them for dead - in the land of the dead. It was the worst feeling in the world, knowing that I could never fix that. I could never restore the peace that had previously been hanging over this world like a soft, shielding cloud.

I briefly wondered when Wag was going to join us. He had opted to stay behind in Dagrun when he regained his wizard powers. He said he would teleport back to this land in a couple days. The only problem was, he had said that a couple days ago. I had been fully expecting him to be waiting for us on the shore.

But he wasn't here. Had something happened to him? I didn't know. There were a lot of things that I didn't know. I didn't know what the prophecy was going to be about. I didn't know who I was going to have to fight.

I didn't know if I would survive.

"Dec? Are you alright?" I was shaken from my thoughts by Champwan's soft question and I glanced at him. "Just let me know if this is too much for you. I'm always here to help."

I shot him a sad smile, distant memories resurfacing fresh in my mind. Champwan had always tried to help me - even though I had shoved him away so many times. I really didn't deserve a friend like him - in fact, I didn't deserve to have any of these people as my friends. But they had chosen to stick by me, and for that, I couldn't be anymore grateful.

I stalked into the town of Dagrun, my eyes narrowed, daring anyone to challenge my right to be here. I got a few scared glances, but no one stopped me as I strode into the castle gates. I needed to have a talk with a certain king.

I ran into Prince Andor before I was able to walk into the castle itself - the young prince flared out his wings and stared at me, confused.

"Where are you going?" Prince Andor asked curiously. Like Dec, he had wings, except his were actually a part of his body and not just a disguise for a godly flying ability. They were a shimmering dark purple and I felt slightly jealous, but I pushed the matter aside. I didn't need wings to fly.

"I need to have a word with your father," I answered, every word clipped and short. "If he has a moment. If not... then I'll make a moment."

Prince Andor hesitated at my threat and I didn't wait for a reply, instead pushing him out of my way and stalking past. I heard his cry of shock when he saw my hands but I ignored it, a now-familiar chill beginning to creep back into my heart.

I quickly darted behind one of the castle towers, and with a rapid glance to make sure no one was watching me, a pulled a glass bottle filled with milk out of a pocket in my robes and took a quick gulp. Almost immediately, I started to feel warmer and I slunk out from behind the tower, tucking the bottle of milk back into my robes.

The poison had had a lasting effect on me. The only way to keep it from taking over again was by constantly drinking milk. It was annoying and hard to get used to, but I had to struggle on.

"Who are you?" King Helgrind's voice boomed right next to me and I whipped around, my hand instinctively flying to my sword sheath, before remembering that I had left my weapon behind. The king glared at me suspiciously and I felt a fresh surge of hatred.

"Don't you recognize me?" I whispered coldly. "No, of course not. You thought I was gone for good."

King Helgrind's eyes widened with fear and he took several panicked steps away from me. I grabbed his wrist, stopping him from escape, and glared at him menacingly.

"You left me to die," I snarled. "All because of your own hunger for power. Do you have any idea what it's like, unable to move, unable to cry out, and unable to stop your own death? No. You wouldn't. So why should you have been able to decide my fate?"

"Let go of me, you monster!" The king snapped and I twisted his wrist sharply to one side, his short cry of pain giving me a spike of satisfaction. "You're nothing but a wretched beast!"

"And whose fault is that?" I hissed. "You're the one who made me into this," I held up my hand in front of King Helgrind's face, showing him my dark grey skin. "Because you wouldn't help me. You don't deserve to be a king. You deserve to die."

"No more than you, traitor!" King Helgrind howled, wresting his wrist from my grasp. "You are hereby banished from the world of Ruxomar!"

"You think I'd want to stay here?" I laughed without humour, my voice harsh and grating. "But I'm not done with you yet. You still have much to repay me."

I summoned my sword, then changed it into a gleaming wand. "You'd do well to remember my name next time, Helgrind."

"For I am Waglington, the mighty wizard of Mianite."

It had been two days since we had returned home. There was still no sign of Wag and I was getting worried.

He should have regained his magical powers by now, unless something had gone dreadfully wrong. I wanted so badly to check, but I had to stay here with the others and fix what I had done wrong. Wag would have to manage on his own, however much I wanted to help.

I had been assisting Jordan in rebuilding his house, since it was the simplest out of anyone's. Tom's house had decayed badly over the years - especially since he had died well before the others. Tucker and Sonja had to have the help of the wizards to repair their mansion, but since the wizards were busy with their HQ, Tucker and Sonja had to live in a temporary hut over by the Quartz-House, along with everyone else.

My old base wasn't too bad, considering that it had been built into a mountain. True, everything still reeked of smoke, but it only needed a few minor repairs before I moved back in.

I paused in the middle of replacing the quartz around Jordan's empty pool, sweat making my shirt stick to my back in the heat of the sun. It sure was hot for late autumn and I wished that there was water in the pool so I could just dive in for a swim. The only water nearby was the salty ocean down at the bottom of the cliff, which would be a pain to reach - unless, of course, I flew.

I glanced around quickly before remembering that I didn't need to hide the fact that I still had my ability to fly. I shrugged to myself and walked over to the railing just as Jordan stepped out onto the deck with an armful of more quartz shards.

"Hey Dec, I got some more -" Jordan's voice rose to a scream as I stumbled off the edge of his house, surprised by his sudden appearance. I yelped as I tumbled through the air, almost terrified completely out of my wits. I quickly concentrated on flying and my free fall was abruptly halted no more than a meter away from the blue-grey ocean waves.

"Dec!" Jordan yelled, racing out of his house and down the cliffside. "Dec!"

"It's okay!" I called back, dropping gently into the ocean. The cool water swirled around me and I spat out a bit of salt water. "I'm perfectly fine!"

Jordan stared at me when he saw that I was floating calmly in the middle of the ocean, not even hurt or panicked. I began to swim slowly over to the mortal, being pushed ashore by the powerful waves.

"How are you alive?" Jordan cried as I stumbled onto the beach, water streaming from my sodden clothes. "That was a deadly fall!"

"I can fly, remember?" I smirked, shaking my head like a dog and scattering salty water droplets everywhere. "I'm a demigod."

"Wha - oh yeah, sorry," Jordan muttered, glancing down at his feet. "It's just so hard to remember that you were actually Dianite for a time. And now Dianite is back again, but Tom became Dianite too and... it's just so confusing."

"Wait - what?" I felt as though my stomach had just been completely filled with blocks of ice. "Tom is Dianite? Do you care to fill me in on this bit of information?"

"You didn't know?" Jordan frowned. "Before we fell into Dagrun, Tom slayed Dianite to get the fourth key to rescue Ianite. He took on Dianite's powers, but for some reason, they weren't quite as effective. I know for a fact that the fireballs were just lumps of glowing charcoal and not actually fire. But yeah - Tom virtually became became Dianite V2."

"That - that's not possible," I started to pace in front of Jordan. "How could Tom have gained powers that didn't exist?"

"I know how," A grim voice interrupted and I whipped around, searching frantically for the owner of the voice before I glanced up.

I recognized the flowing purple-grey robes and the orange tabby cat curled around the newcomer's shoulders. But no... it couldn't be him...

Wag stared down at us, his silver eyes glowing faintly as he stroked Quexa's ears. But his face was marred by dark grey, almost black swirls that overlapped to form unnatural patterns on his skin. Upon closer observation, I also saw that his hands were the same shade of grey and that he once again held his wand.

"Good to see you, Dec," Wag greeted, although there was no happiness in his voice. "I've learned a few things while you were gone. And you're not going to like them."

I wasn't immediately bombarded with questions, only horrified stares. I could imagine what I must look like to them - a monster. The Wither poison hadn't fully been cured and probably never would be. I still had the imprints of the Wither effect forever tattooed into my skin, although they would be harmless to touch.

"I guess I should explain myself, huh?" I suggested after neither Dec or Jordan made a move to speak. "Come on up to the house. We can talk better there."

I blinked and suddenly, we were all up at Jordan's house, sitting in his half built living room. I wrinkled my nose at the ruined house, but now was not the time to go on cleanup duty. I had a lot of information to tell my friends and not all of it was good.

Scratch that - none of it was good.

"So I bet you're wondering about my face," I rubbed one of the swirls that ran down to my neck, curling under my chin. "Well, to get my powers back, I needed a nether star. The only way to do that was by fighting a Wither. I wasn't careful enough and I got hit by a Wither skull. I didn't have anything to counter the poison and my only hope was to get the star to my altar and complete the spell so that hopefully the magic would affect me and reverse the poison. The Wither poison spread faster than I realized and I collapsed right before I got to the altar.

"I managed to toss the Nether star up onto the altar, but it wasn't close enough to complete the spell. I lay there for what seemed like hours, fighting a losing battle against the poison. I thought that was it. I thought that I was going to die.

"Then, King Helgrind came up to the altar. He told me that I was a 'threat' to his rise to power. That it would be so easy for him to help me, but he wouldn't. Then he walked away and left me for dead.

"By that point, I was too weak even to cry. I could feel myself dying. I could feel my heartbeat slowing to a stop. It was the worst thing I had ever felt and I wanted nothing more than for it to be over. Then, Quexa came over and nudged the star into place. The magic was able to reach me just as my heart stopped and was able to drive back the Wither poison enough for me to regain consciousness and summon some milk and a healing potion. The milk stopped the effects while the healing potion helped me recover my strength quickly. But it's not gone - I have to constantly drink milk now to stop the Wither poison from reaching my heart again.

"After another day, I went into town to confront the king. He was shocked that I was alive but clearly gave away his motives in that he only wanted power. I teleported away, gathered up Quexa and any other nescessary things that I had and left. I came here to warn you. King Helgrind wants this land as his own. He seeks to conquer the gods and anyone else who stands in his way to complete domination."

I finished my story and glanced at Dec and Jordan, silently waiting for a response. They were both staring at me in shock, their mouths hanging open. Quexa purred and wound around my legs, clearly begging to be rubbed. I obliged, scratching her cheek as I continued to wait.

"The - king?" Jordan choked out, his voice thick with disbelief. "But he was the one who -"

"- Who left me for dead," I interrupted coldly. I was starting to feel chilly again, despite the warm day, and I brought out my bottle of milk, taking a quick drink. "The king is bad news. Whatever he did that was 'helpful' means nothing. He was just trying to get you on his side so that he would have a stronger army."

"So now we know the enemy," Dec muttered. "What do we do about it?"

"We wait," I shrugged, not knowing what else to say. "We're not strong enough to make an attack on Dagrun. Besides, we're greatly lacking in numbers that we used to have."

"D - don't remind me," Dec shuddered, glancing away from us. I felt a twinge of guilt for bringing the subject up but swallowed it back. Dec was going to have to face the truth sooner or later.

"But what were you saying earlier about Tom's powers?" Jordan changed the subject, and I wasn't blind to the look of relief that filled Dec's eyes.

"It's simple," I smirked, picking up Quexa and setting her in my lap. "Simple transfer of godly energy through a dimension that only exists in your mind. In other words, everything that happened between you dying - which you've explained that you remember as a journey to Ianarea where Syndicate was able to acquire some of the godly energy that went into creating that world - and waking up in the Dagrun prison was just a hallucination in the land of life and death. My guess is that your spirit was taken from the land of the dead and put into a new mortal body. Then, whatever godly spirit was controlling it simply created an alternate dimension for you to 'live' in before you were dropped through the sky. It was just to make sure you had no gaps in your memory and also to create a believable lie."

If it was even possible, Dec and Jordan seemed more shocked than before at my explanation.

"Well done, wizard," a very insolent, very familiar voice spoke from behind me and I had to stop myself from immediately leaping up and punching the speaker in the face. "It appears you have grown smarter since you left."

"Helgrind," I growled, slowly standing up and turning around to meet my enemy's cold glare. Prince Andor stood off to the side, his wings raised slightly and his head downcast as though he was uncomfortable with being here. "Why are you here?"

King Helgrind laughed and spread his arms, as though giving a warm welcome. "Why, to finish what I started, of course! And that will be starting - with your death, wizard."

I was prepared to fight. I was prepared to bash King Helgrind's head in.

However, I was not prepared to be teleported to the Forest of the Abyss.

I yelped as I was teleported away from Jordan's house and right next to an obsidian-glowstone tree. King Helgrind had teleported too and seemed as surprised as I did, but Wag looked very apologetic.

"Sorry," He muttered. "Sometimes I teleport randomly when I get nervous. One time I ended up in Syndicate's saltshaker."

I couldn't even bring myself to laugh and instead gave a quick glance around the small forest. It was just me, Wag, and King Helgrind. Perfect.

It would be the final fight.

Wag charged first, screaming a spell directed straight at the king. Helgrind raised his sword and deflected the magic easily, the silvery tendrils dissipating into the air.

"You think it will be so easy, wizard?" King Helgrind sneered, blocking another spell. "I'll teach you better soon enough."

I dove in for my own attack, unsheathing my diamond sword and swiping at the king's sword arm. Unfortunately, his reflexes were almost cat-like as he parried my strike, twisting under my sword and shoving me away. I stumbled, but didn't fall, noticing how Wag was floating slightly in the air, trying to get the advantage of height as he shot spell after spell.

I attacked time after time, yet I never managed to get under King Helgrind's guard. Wag was shooting spells more slowly and I could tell that he was tiring rapidly. We would have to end this soon, but the king's eyes still shone with a fresh hatred.

We couldn't go on for much longer.

We were going to lose.

My hope was rapidly fading as my spells proved ineffective. I was exhausted. I had to float down to the ground, but I was getting too shaky to even stand.

King Helgrind was going on the attack now, forcing Dec back while still smoothly deflecting my magic. Dec seemed desperate, his eyes wide with fear as the king began to get behind his defense and draw blood. I felt my rage build up even more and decided it was time to try a tactic that King Helgrind wouldn't suspect.

I summoned a diamond sword to my free hand and tucked my wand away. I swiftly darted behind the king and raised my sword to deal a deadly strike, but Dec's sudden, terrified screech made me freeze.

King Helgrind had disarmed Dec and had his own sword pressed against the demigod's throat. Dec was pinned against one of the trees, pale, trembling, and covered in his own scarlet blood.

"Oh, revenge certainly is sweet," King Helgrind chuckled. "You know, I bet you never did find out who killed your father, did you? Well, maybe it's time for you to realize the cold, hard truth."

I saw Dec's eyes widen as the realization hit him right before King Helgrind revealed it himself.

"I killed your father."

"No," Dec rasped, voice shaky with disbelief. "H - how?"

"I knew of this land and the gods within it long before you ever came here," the king chuckled. "My goal was always to eliminate them from my plans of domination. You had already taken care of Ianite. I imprisoned Khione shortly after. Only Mianite and Dianite stood in my way - but I didn't know that Dianite had had a son. And now... thanks to you... Dianite has returned and all my efforts were for nothing," King Helgrind ended in a snarl, his sword shaking as his hands grew unsteady from rage.

"Then I suppose," Dec narrowed his eyes. "That you wouldn't mind knowing that you've lost. You've lost, Helgrind. Because as long as I am breathing, you will never suceed in ruling this land. You have nothing to fight for - just a hunger for worthless power. I - I have something worth fighting for. My family. My home. My friends."

"Friendship," King Helgrind's voice became deathly cold and I tensed, a dark feeling of dread creeping into my heart. "Cannot save you."

I chose that moment to strike, but at the same time, I heard Dec scream in pain. I knocked King Helgrind away from Dec and pinned him against another tree. I barely had time to see the flash of fear in his eyes before I had buried my sword deep in the king's chest, ending his life quickly and mercilessly.

I stood, panting, my hands and face splattered with dark blood, as King Helgrind's body collapsed to the earth. I smiled victoriously and turned around to share in the defeat of the king with Dec...

...Only to find the demigod slumped against an obsidian tree with King Helgrind's sword buried deep in his stomach.

Pain...

Pain...

Pain...

Oh gods, I couldn't take this.

I screamed, trying desperately to pull the sword out of my stomach, but the blood coating it made it too slick. I felt more blood bubble up in my throat and I coughed, the movement sending a wave of agony washing over me.

"Dec!" Wag's voice, filled with panic, cut through my pain-shrouded thoughts. I couldn't see anymore... my head was spinning and everything merged into a haze of black and red.

"No! Dec, look at me! Please, look at me!" I blinked rapidly and felt myself sliding to one side. Strong arms caught me and I was gently rested in someone's lap. I couldn't even cry out anymore - there was too much blood in my mouth. The pain wasn't going away either - it was intensifying to a biting agony.

It was more than my body could take.

This was it.

I was dying.

I... I would never be able to see my friends again. Never be able to tell them how much they meant to me.

I opened my eyes weakly, staring up at the sky. It was just beginning to grow dark, a dusky blue covering the sky. The glowstone on the trees was shining softly against the night.

Everything seemed so peaceful, and here I lay, soaked in blood, dying.

Why?

I heard Wag sobbing, but the sound was muted, as though it was underwater. I felt him gently brushing my hair out of my eyes and I felt how he trembled while doing so.

Gradually, the pain started to die away and I felt lightheaded. I knew what this meant. I would die in just a few minutes, maybe less. Smaller, dimmer lights started to shine, blinking on and off. They were too small to be stars and my mouth twitched into a weak smile.

"F - fireflies," I whispered softly, not having the strength to cough up the blood anymore. "W - Wag... re - remember me wh - when you s - see th - the fire - fireflies..."

"I will," I heard Wag choke out softly. "I - I promise."

I smiled once again. Fireflies - would be a good reminder. Their light always shone in the darkest times, always there, even if you couldn't see them.

Yes...

The beautiful blinking fireflies stayed with me as I finally closed my eyes...

And let the world fade away into nothing.

I stood at a gravestone, illuminated by the sunset, a small bouquet of tiny yellow flowers in my hands. It had been two weeks - two weeks since Dec had died.

Nine days ago, everyone's memories had fully returned. Eight days ago, User, Twisted, Aurey, Felisa, Kitse, Kilo, and Linden appeared on the shores of Mianite. Prince Andor had decided to stay, proclaiming that the life of ruling a kingdom was not for him. Repairs were almost done on all the buildings and all the wizards were happily rejoicing about that.

But there was an empty gap in the community now. Dec had left behind nothing but memories - memories of a happier time.

I felt a single tear trickle down my cheek and I didn't bother wiping it away. I missed Dec - so much more than all the others. I felt as though I could have saved him. I was there when he died. I was the only one left to pass on the heartbreaking news to the others.

Dec was gone.

He had died for his friends. For everyone. It was the most painful sacrifice for anyone to witness, especially for me.

I slowly knelt down next to his grave and dug a shallow pit in the soft ground with my darkened hands. I planted the flowers in the dirt and carefully covered up their roots, standing up and waiting.

Just a few minutes later, fireflies started appearing around the flowers, blinking their golden lights. I stood back and watched them as they lit up the words carved into the gravestone.

"Light in the darkness, hidden by shadows,

Always shines brightest when it's hardest to find

Stay in the shadows, a light waiting to shine,

And come out at last when all hope is blind."

Dec was a light in the shadows. Most of the time, he had tried to hide his light.

But when hope was blind, he shone through.

I smiled faintly, holding out my hand for a little firefly to land on. It landed lightly on my palm and crawled around for a bit before taking off again, shining out through the ever-darkening night.

I promised Dec that I would always remember him.

I would remember the fireflies.

Always. I will always remember the fireflies. *blinks back tears*

Well. I finished writing this at 4:30 in the morning. Again with the staying up late to finish these! What is with that? And yeah, those pale yellow flowers are the firefly plant from Orespawn that spawns in fireflies at night. I thought it fit perfectly.

You guys reading Amulet... I hope you realize this is the second time in a week that Dec's died. XD He's my favourite character to write about as well!

*has been listening to 'Ender Dragons' for the past three hours*

-Ender