Kay, so last time the author notes were annoyingly long, so I ain't gonna do that again. You guys wanted them to have names, though, so here goes. I'm only going to give you the names of the people in the chapter. (For example, if I were to write a chapter about Creeper in the future, I would include Creeper's name at that time, but I would also include Enderman's name, that I just add on to remind you guys. And really, I'll probably need more reminding than you guys. One of my biggest issues with writing is when I try to change a character's name after having them named something else, and then I end up calling them their old name instead of their new names. I annoy myself, so, uh, yeah.)

OKAY that was too long. Sorry, anyway, here's da names.

Enderman = Eli. (You will find that most Enderman names start with or end with an E, and if not, at least contain one E. Don't ask me why, it's just what they do.)

Enderdragon = Elijah (Enderdragons sometimes follow a similar rule, which is that, especially for males, it contains at least one E and one A. For females, usually it's just an A.)

LAST THING I SWEAR ON THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER OF MINECRAFT, I'm changing it up this chapter. Now it's in past tense, third person. Those are pretty much my two modes, besides also past tense first person. So, pick which ones you guys prefer. I might just alternate every chapter. I don't know.

Anyway, enjoy and all that good stuff!

Eli (aka Enderman) swore on his life, he was going to get back what was stolen from him.

The problem was, it was easier said than done.

Eli was disoriented. He couldn't think straight. He was trying not to panic, and he most definitely wasn't succeeding. He shivered from head to toe, like his instincts were asking him, 'why aren't you already teleporting?' And, Gods of Minecraft, he wanted to teleport, and wrap his hands around the thief's neck. But the problem was, the thief had friends. Eli would be hopelessly outnumbered. His only hope was to track the thief the best he could. And he had heard the stories, and knew they were true; the place was enchanted against all teleporting, regardless.

Eli was being nice if he called the thief just a thief. The 'thief' was also a killer, a tormentor. If Eli was too late...

He shook the thoughts off. It wasn't going to help. That wouldn't happen. Eli had promised he'd save her, and he would.

He had left his wife, Enzia, crying at home. He may have been dizzy for a moment and angry enough to make his whole self tremble, but his wife could barely move, crying out at random times.

It seemed better to Eli that his Enzia remained safely in the cave. He told himself he could take care of the thief- but he knew he was lying. He would need help. But what kind of friends could you all on at a time like that?

Eli shouted up to the enderdragon. "Hey, Elijah! I need help, it's an emergency."

Elijah was down in about two seconds. "I heard. Most of The End is panicking, and word gets around fast. I was on my way over to you. What's your plan?"

"I don't know." Eli blurted. He didn't have time to talk. "I have no idea and just..." He tried to take a deep breath, tried to calm down. Like with many things, he didn't succeed. "I have to find her." He felt the tears coming. "I have to."

"Okay, okay, come on, then. Let's not waste time sitting around and talking. I think I might know where to look. It's a long shot." Elijah gestured to his back. "Get on."

Enderdragons were fast. They could travel up to three hundred miles per hour, at top speed.

But it still almost didn't seem fast enough for the enderman. He was used to teleporting, and then, like that, he was there. Instead, he had to take the long way. When it mattered the most, he couldn't just end up there magically, instantly.

Elise refused to cry.

She had to be brave. She knew her father was coming, any second now. He had promised her. He never broke a promise.

She had told herself that repeatedly. She had told herself she would be fine. She refused to cry. She would not cry...

Then the pain had started.

At first, she felt numb. She saw the hammer come down on her body. Two seconds later, she felt it. A bone-shattering force broke through her body, waves of dizziness overcoming her. The world spun for a moment, and when she could see straight she couldn't think straight. She cried out, repeatedly, as the hammer came down several more times. She had told herself not to cry, but it wasn't voluntary. The force of the weapon slammed the tears out of her. She screamed some pretty God-insulting things at them.

Her screams seemed to have little effect, besides that Shadow was smiling to himself, and didn't seem to care to hide it. Dagger didn't seem to hear it. Luna and Lavender exchanged a glance, and chose then to walk away.

Elise wasn't sure if she could blame them. She was a mess. It had to hardly have been half an hour, but it felt like longer. Her blood pulsed in places she didn't know she had. The hammer was bad enough, but Dagger was beginning to eye the knives to his right.

He frowned thoughtfully. "She's tiny...size three?"

Shadow smiled wickedly. A kind of malice that Elise had never seen was bright, circling in his eyes in a hypnotic dance. "I would say size five."

"We want to make her bleed, Shadow, not kill her, not yet."

"Right, right," Shadow said, spreading his hands. "Your call."

Elise wasn't really listening. She knew whatever pain they were planning on giving her would be worse than what she had at the moment, although, at the time, she could hardly imagine anything worse than what she felt at the moment. It felt like daggers had been placed inside her throat, trying to make it hard for her to breathe. While she gasped with eyes closed and mind reeling, a hot pain pierced into her right shoulder. She was too afraid to look at it, but she was laying in a warm pool of blood. She tried to look at them, tried to see whatever they were picking next, to prepare herself.

Just looking at the knife that Dagger was picking up made her sick. Her vision was dizzy as he came closer.

"Oh, Gods." She coughed, cringing away.

He smiled at her, taking his time in coming over to her and grabbing her wrist. "Don't give me that look. It's not going to do you any good."

"Sorry," She hissed under her breath. "I thought for a second there that it would." She tried to jerk away from him, and only succeeded in hurting herself. She cried out as her shoulder oozed out another wave of blood, and he had an iron grip around her wrist.

Dagger brought the knife to her skin. Shadow almost laughed out loud at the look on her face, her eyes closed and waiting for the anticipated pain.

The knife dug into her skin. Whatever she expected the pain would be like, she underestimated it. Fresh blood splattered to the ground, joining the small pool. Dagger ripped the knife out, and Elise couldn't hold it back. She screamed, jerking and flinching away from him. Again, it did her more harm than good, but she didn't seem to care.

The knife was glowing, or darkening. If it was considered glowing, it was glowing black. There wasn't a speck of blood on it.

"It's time?" Shadow asked hopefully. "My turn?"

Dagger sighed. "I suppose so."

"Oh, Gods." Elise muttered again. "What does he do?"

"Well, basically, he uses a magic spell to invite your soul to come closer towards the surface. Right now, it's safely far, far deep inside your core."

"Not for much longer." Shadow grinned. "Now, where did I put my spell book..."

He grabbed something that looked kind of like a magazine, and flipped over two pages. "Alright, here...inlustratori cordis, anxius animo penitus domicilio ex, exeunt, in lucem. Vadam huc salvom hinc quaere tibi tutum."

She didn't understand it, but Dagger knew the words well, for he himself had once been the one to speak the spells, and it went something like this; pained soul, worried soul, deep inside the home, come out, come out, into the light. it's alright here, it's safe here, it's safe for you to come look.'

Shadow paused and both of them watched for a moment.

Elise didn't know what he was saying, but by his tone, he was almost...coaxing her. How could that voice, that sharp voice, possibly sound gentle? He must be safe, it must be safe, there can't be any harm here, surely, said some insane part of her. She told that part to shut up, very sternly. It hurt to move her arm, but she hugged her elbows and closed her eyes. He's a monster. He's a monster.

"Egredere, egredere, pusillanimes, spuriae domum." Shadow muttered under his breath.

Suddenly the words were more clear to her as he spoke them again; 'come out, come out, little soul, helpless little home.'

She shook her head and whispered, "No, no..."

Shadow broke into a grin. "She doesn't want to come easily, Dagger. Can I please crank things up a little?"

"Try one more time." Dagger replied.

Shadow sighed. "You've always wanted the most boring option." But again he spoke the words, and again, nothing happened. The voice inside Elise stirred, -that voice is so soothing, but why- but she kept a firm grip around its mouth.

Dagger sighed. "They all just love to make my work harder, don't they? Fine, Shadow. Hurry it up."

Shadow burst into a grin and then came closer, until he was hissing in Elise's ear. This time, she understood the words perfectly well without needing to hear it very much.

"Dolet animula animulae. Audite vocem meam doleat animulae latitat paulo domum."

('Feel pain, little soul, little soul. Obey me or feel pain, little soul hiding within a little home.')

Something pierced inside Elise, starting at her heart and leaving a hot wave of shivers moving over her. Oddly, her chest began to glow, ever so slightly. Stop! The voice was screaming, and Elise's grip on it loosening. Just make it stop!

"That's it, that's it, ya stupid girl." Shadow laughed and continued, "'Don't run home, little soul, there's no where else to go. This isn't pain, little soul, this is agony. Come out. Obey me or feel agony. Little home, this is agony.'" (ne descendat in domum, pusillanimes, non quo alio ire. Hoc non est dolor, pusillanimes, hoc dolet. Egredere. Audite vocem meam, vel sentire dolorem. Parva domum, hoc est, dolorem. Fact; you were too lazy to read that. That's okay, I was too.)

A scream choked its way to Elise's lips, and started that way, but ended with her coughing up blood. Her chest wasn't just glowing, she realized. There was a tiny version of her coming out her chest, -what the heck?- with its eyes closed and mouth open in a silent scream. Elise realized she wasn't breathing, and panicked when she realized that she couldn't.

Dagger reached in and grabbed the white glowing version of Elise by the throat. "Alright, Shadow, stop."

"Aw," Shadow said with disappointment. "'Sleep, little soul, sleep with nightmares that keep you deep into rest for a long while. The agony is gone, little soul. Feel numb, feel nothing, little soul.'" (Medicum, anima, quae te alta in somnis somnum diu quies. Agonia sit manus, animule. Libenter torpent, nihil sentire animulae.)

Elise felt like someone had put breathy ice in her chest. Where it had once been so hot, she was suddenly cold. But she was still hot, at the same time, as if that made any sense. She choked on tears and realized she was whimpering like a pathetic baby. She forced herself to stop, forced herself to take somewhat normal breaths.

Dagger grabbed the black, glowing knife and look the sleeping soul in Shadow's arms up and down. It was like a sleeping, white version of Elise, except you couldn't see her feet, which were kind of connected to Elise's feet.

Shadow licked his lips eagerly, staring at Elise's feet. "Can I cut the ties?"

Dagger shook his head. "No, as my answer will always be." He leaned down by her ear, holding the dagger close to her ankle. She thought about moving, but was reminded that it was hopeless, and didn't try. The main thing that scared her was the look on Dagger's face. He wasn't even kind of smiling anymore. There almost a dead look in his eyes, a blank look, like a failed attempt at being sympathetic. His whispers softer than Shadow's as he said, "Expect this to hurt, little soul."

Eli didn't know how long he had.

Or rather, he didn't know how long his daughter had.

He didn't know what was happening to her, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. But he did know they would pay, they would all pay. And if they ever thought of touching his Elise again- oh Gods of Minecraft, was she okay? What if-

"Hey," Elijah interrupted his thoughts. Eli didn't know how he looked, but it probably wasn't good. Elijah was giving him 'that' look. "It'll be okay. We'll find her. You know me, I'm the fastest there is."

Eli bit his lip too hard; he was tasting blood. "I hate to ask, but...can you go any faster?"

"I hate to answer, for the twelfth time, that this is the fastest I've got, unless you want me to get too tired to go anywhere at all. We'll find her, Eli. We're already in the general area, which is why you can't teleport."

Eli nodded. "Alright, alright," He sighed. "Sorry."

"Just hang in there, okay? We'll find her." Elijah frowned to himself, scanning the ground. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Elijah's guess, his long shot, hadn't been correct. They had tried two other places they could guess where the Dark Ones might be, judging off of the stories, but both were wrong. They had all sort of led to where they were now, though, like a pathway. Eli knew, when he was no longer able to teleport, that it had to be it; enchanting such a weird and wide forest to resist someone else's magic was a kind of spell that only some enderpeople could conjure, and Eli, who had studied those kind of spells for two years, wasn't sure if he was among them.

That's when they spotted it. It was just a tiny cave, but it was the most unsuspicious part of the whole landscape, which, oddly enough, immediately made it suspicious.

Eli didn't realize he had jumped off of Elijah's back about ten seconds too early, and fell a little too hard to the ground. "Eli!" Elijah followed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Eli was too afraid to actually check. "Let's go."

Eli sprinted ahead. Elijah followed, trying not to be worried. He was the type that didn't like going without a plan -especially with what he had heard about the Dark Ones- and Eli was the kind to improvise. Elijah sort of gave himself a last-minute plan idea that probably wouldn't even work, and though he almost didn't fit, Elijah followed Eli into the cave.

Elise never understood what happened to her after that. She was in a daze of pain, and everything else was blurry and unfocused. But she felt something spike at her feet, felt and only kind of heard the scream that escaped her.

The soul that had come out of her was screaming as well. Then it was floating, free from Elise entirely. It took its chance to escape, giving the body of Elise an apologetic look. Elise couldn't blame it, or herself, or whatever.

Then Shadow grabbed the black knife and stabbed the soul in the shoulder. The thing screamed louder, a ringing, deafening sound that stirred Elise, but she couldn't move.

Whatever was in that knife, it kept the soul there, a panicked look in its bright purple eyes.

"Keep it there." Dagger muttered. "I think we'd better hurry. Luna sent me a message, and she senses someone."

Shadow sighed. "People always trying to ruin my fun. My quick work is always messy."

"Messy is better than nothing at all. Now come on, I believe we have another couple spells to use."

The room was mostly quiet. It didn't reassure Eli, who plunged ahead. The smell sickened him and the thought of the cause of the smell sickened him and the fact that his daughter had been dragged through it all sickened him most of all. Eli was trying not to throw up, trying to calm his racing heart, when he saw them.

They were like any other two enderpeople, except their eyes were different. One of them had bright purple eyes, the other, bright blue. Both wore matching hoods. The one with blue eyes was grinning.

"I told you so, Lavender. There's two of them, not three."

"What you didn't mention, Luna, is that one of them is a dragon!" Lavender groaned. "I hate killing dragons. They're so useful."

"Thanks," Elijah hissed, and blew an inferno at her face.

"Mother of Minecraft, that's a lot of magic fire!" At the last second, a shield appeared around the two, but the force of it slammed both of them back.

Eli grabbed Luna by the throat and slammed her against the wall. "Where's Elise?"

It wasn't Luna, who was gasping for air, who replied, but Lavender.

"The girl?" Lavender laughed, nose bleeding as she stood up. "You're a little late. Just follow the sound of the screams."

That's when Eli heard them. High-pitched, unearthly, pained screams that burned his ears and made his gut twist. "Shit!"

He ran in the direction of it. Elijah blew a ball of smoke at Lavender for good measure and then followed.

Soul stealing was complicated, as Dagger had learned. For one thing, kidnapping and torturing enderpeople to death was generally frowned upon. Not to mention that the victims weren't exactly willing.

Still, they stole souls. And that part alone was hard. A soul is the literal core of a being, a home inside a home. It usually doesn't want to come out, usually you have to coax it. Dagger used to be the one to do so, and Shadow would deal with the rest. Dagger found that Shadow enjoyed it a little too much, and gave Shadow the partly harder, more boring task.

The thing about a soul is that, once even persuaded outside by the proper spell, they still remained properly tied to their hosts. As a soul's motto goes, 'wherever you walk, I walk'. So, their feet are permanently tied together. Well, not so permanently; those ties are easily removed. It's just not so fun for the host, or the soul, for that matter. The little endergirl didn't seem fond of it, which seemed to please Shadow.

The next step to soul stealing was a little bit less pleasant. The spell, of course, required that the soul to be alive, and for it to be freshly from an enderperson's body, but after that, it didn't matter what happened to the unfortunate, now literally soulless victim. What mattered was that the soul would be crushed until it was an essence of power. It would kill the soul, and without a trace of a soul of any kind, it would kill the victim. Shadow seemed to take a lot of joy in that fact.

Shadow grabbed the knife, dragging the soul along with it. "What about the girl?"

"She's not our problem. She's not going anywhere, and we have her life source, regardless. Let's go." Dagger replied.

Elise was alone with a bloody hammer, a puddle of purple and red surrounding her, and an old, dusty spell book. The last thing she saw before the darkness grabbed her was the sight of her soul giving its body one last, long, mournful look, and then being yanked away. Elise still had her own bright eyes in her vision when the dark greeted her.

Eli had told himself he was prepared for anything. He had told himself he could take down anyone or anything -including the Dark Ones- if it meant getting his daughter back. And what did he have to worry about? He had a best friend dragon on his side. He was sure he could take anything they threw at him.

He was very, very wrong.

The sight in the next room, accompanied with the smell, and a lot of his own panic, was enough to make fear slam from his head, to his throat, to his heart, to his core.

"Oh, Gods..."

He didn't remember teleporting, he didn't remember running, he didn't remember his feet touching the ground, but in a split second he was next to her. He was too afraid to touch her, but he listened. After one moment, and then two, he heard a heart beat. A moment of hesitant relief flooded through him.

Elijah came in right about then. "Mother of Minecraft and all her sons..."

Eli looked up with Elise in his arms. They exchanged glance for a moment, Eli's full of desperation and Elijah's full of anger.

"What did they do to her?" Elijah shook his head.

Eli closed his eyes and felt the tears tumbling down. "Look at her feet."

Elijah looked and was even more pissed. Her feet were bloody and slightly glowing; they had cut the ties off her soul. He knew that's what the Dark Ones did, but he refused to believe it. Someone had been stupid enough to mess with his best friend and his family. "I'm gonna kill them."

"No objection here." Eli muttered. "I should probably go with you, but..." The enderman felt like he couldn't leave his unconscious princess alone. He couldn't look away from her.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of 'em, and I'll be quick. You can follow me if you can, but if you can't, get her out of here and quick." Elijah didn't give Eli time to answer as he disappeared deeper into the cave.

Almost immediately, a boom and a white flash of light came from the same direction. Eli listened, but he couldn't hear Elijah. As he listened harder, he realized just how loud the silence was. He also couldn't hear something else. He leaned closer towards his daughter to be sure, but...

Elise's heart had stopped.