Xephos stood at the gates to the castle. He glanced around, seeing bystanders watching him. They watched with curiosity; there were only really two reasons to go to the castle. 1) You're going to be imprisoned, or 2) You lived there. Seeing as only a handful of people lived there, it looked like he was willingly imprisoning himself. The gates slowly opened, and he made his way towards the marble monstrosity; he much preferred Sjin's taste for mahogany, even if his obsession was a little...obnoxious at times. He clenched his hand around his marked wrist, running his thumb over the engraving. It had faded very slightly, but not enough for it to become unrecognisable or forgettable. When he got closer to the castle, he could see the guards either side. They instantly grabbed him by each arm, escorting him to the throne room. The inside was as fancy as the rumours said. Royal blue decked everywhere, apart from the occasional deep red or forest green. The insignia of the King could be seen at every turn; a top hat with specks, like paint, around the bottom. Xephos didn't even bother trying to memorize the route; they all looked the same. The doors were opened in front of him, and his knees collided forcefully with the ground. He didn't look up from the ground, never wanting to see those piercing ice blue eyes again. Unfortunately, Xephos was not going to have his wish.

"Leave us." He sounded so adult for being just 18 years old; the same age as Xephos himself. As soon as the doors shut, Xephos watched as legs came into his view. "It's good to see you again, rebel." He knelt down in front of Xephos, tipping his head back slightly. Their eyes met, the two shades of blue. Glowing and piercing. As before, Xephos said nothing. The King rolled his eyes, letting go of Xephos, who's head moved back down so he was looking at the ground. "Not this again. Life would be so much simpler if you just did as you were told." He stood up. Soon two other pairs of feet joined his; red and green. The Knight and the Mage. "Now, do you know why you are here?" The King asked.

"Why now?" The question stunned the three, leaving a momentary silence. "Why leave it until now to imprison me?" Xephos dared look up at them and saw the look of confusion begin to fade. "I was the first rebel. Why did you not try to imprison me first?" He asked. The King smirked, and then laughed.

"I am not going to imprison you." Xephos blinked, taken aback. What? "No, you are too useful to just be thrown into darkness. Instead I have a proposal for you." The King glanced to his right, where Lalna was thrown out of the shadows. Xephos gasped, seeing how beaten up he was. Bruises, scars, blood... What did they do to him? "Now..." The voice snapped him back to reality. "If you join me, I'll leave your friends alone." Xephos growled. He was instantly going to shout 'No!', but he hesitated. He looked back over at Lalna. They wouldn't be hurt...

"D-Don't...join h-him..." Lalna's weak voice whispered. "F-Fight..." The Knight moved over to Lalna, making him kneel, hurting him further in the process. He held his sword to Lalna's neck, threatening to cut if he spoke again.

"Lalna!" Xephos tried to stand, but the Mage held him down. "..." He thought about Honeydew and Lomadia. They'd tell him not to join him. Xephos closed his eyes for a moment, before they snapped open, blazing. He thrust his head back, smashing it into the Mage's. He took out his sword, aiming for the King. In an instant, the Knight had parried the blow, pushing Xephos back. The two were evenly matched, with Xephos even gaining the advantage slightly every now and again. The Knight smirked, obviously surprised.

"Impressive. Even without proper training you can match with me!" He whispered, sweeping his leg under Xephos. The raven haired male landed on his back, the point against his neck. Xephos panted quietly, watching the Knight. He was in awe, slightly. In one movement, he had been beaten. "But not quite." He added quietly. The King moved over to the two, standing over Xephos.

"It seems like you will not come willingly." He sighed, shaking his head. "You could have made life easy, rebel. Instead you've made it...difficult." His gaze moved over to the Mage who, apart blood around his nose, had recovered from his daze. The Knight pulled Xephos up, turning him to face the Mage. Xephos glanced over at Lalna, who was screaming and shouting to let him go. He couldn't even move; the Knight held him in a position which rendered it useless to struggle. His eyes flicked back to the Mage when he took out a potion. Xephos growled, moving his head back. "You just need a little...persuading. That's all." He noticed the smirk on the King's face before his mouth was forced open. The liquid trickled down his throat quickly. Soon Xephos' body became tired and numb, his eyes drooping. He groggily looked over to Lalna, who was still shouting, yet everything was muffled. When the Knight let go of him, he instantly fell onto all fours. Xephos shook his head, trying to resist the potion, but it was no use. A gentle push from the side left him flat on his back. The three stood over him, soon becoming nothing more than just blurs. His eyes slowly closed, and everything became silent.

When Xephos next opened his eyes, there was a loud ringing in his ears like he had just been near an explosion. He slowly sat up, holding his head. He felt something cold and metal against his wrists. Tugging experimentally, the male soon realised they were chains. The room was so dark he could barely make his hand out in front of his face. But he decided he must be in the prison now. It seemed...too quiet. Xephos guessed he was separate from the others. He groaned, the pounding in his head growing. 'Calm down. Breathe.' He told himself, breathing deeply. It eased the pain a little, if nothing else. He didn't know how long he'd been here, or how long he would remain here, but he was here. That's all that mattered. There were two ways Xephos thought this situation could go. He could either try to escape, or just wait whatever fate is in store. He noticed a glint across the room, standing up. His legs were like jelly, hardly able to hold his own weight; this was when he noticed his feet were bare. Why, he didn't know. Everything else was the same, though. Xephos slowly made his way over, the chains suddenly stopping him. He reached out towards the thing, but it was out of reach, past the bars of his cell. Of course it would be. Life was never easy like that. Xephos pressed his back against the wall, the chains draping over his skin. He shivered at how cold they were, staring at nothing. It was only then he was glad for the glow of his eyes. It made the situation a little less frightening. If only slightly. He preferred this, however, to Lalna being imprisoned. He couldn't stand the thought of his friends being hurt. Xephos pulled his knees close, crossing his arms over them. He rest his head on his cold skin, burying his face in them. Even though he preferred this, it didn't mean he had to like it. The silence was painful. Just his own breathing and the occasional jangle of the chains. Nothing more, nothing less.

You...

Xephos' head shot up when he heard a voice. Why did he hear a voice? Who was it?

You're the rebel, aren't you?

The male glanced around, seeing nothing. He began to think he was going crazy; hearing voices.

You're not crazy.

'Sure.' Xephos thought to himself. 'That's what a crazy person would say to themselves...' He curled up tighter, trying to ignore the voice.

Look, just listen to me. My name is Rythian. I'm a Mage. I can talk telepathically to you.

'Mage...?' Xephos blinked. Maybe he wasn't crazy. 'Where are you?'

Imprisoned, like you. You're being kept away from the rest of us, but we're just in range. Anyway, you need to keep your morale up. Be strong, Xephos, the rebel that glows and gives hope to all.

Xephos pondered on Rythian's words. He had been beginning to lose it, just slightly. He did need to be strong. Xephos never quite realised how much of an impact he had on people but he had caused some kind of rebellion; hence his titles. Now he was just beginning to realise how people felt about him. This Rythian thought highly of him, apparently. Xephos nodded, letting his legs stretch out in front of him. He wiggled his toes, smiling at them for some reason.

"...Alright." He spoke aloud, which sounded too loud for his taste. But he preferred it; it made it seem like they were actually talking. "I will..."

"Huh, only a few hours and you're going crazy?" The Knight remarked. How long he had been standing there, Xephos had no clue. He had been too busy listening and talking to Rythian. "I thought it would take a while for you to break, but seems like Ross underestimated you." He chuckled. Xephos could see his shadowy figure standing outside the bars, his eyes only just casting a glow on him. The raven-haired male smirked, letting the strands of his hair fall in front of his eyes.

"Oh...I'm not broken. In fact...I'm stronger than I've even been before." He noticed the smirk on his face fade, making his own grow more. It was slightly insane, but it never hurts to be crazy...right?

A/N: Familiar face #1! Rythian! You think I'd leave my favourite Enderborn out of this story? No way xD Even if he is imprisoned, he's still there ;D Even though technically he's not an Enderborn in this, since Minecraft mobs don't exist, but he's still magical. Yay~