Song of the chapter: Our Solemn Hour by Within Temptation

1 Day Until Destruction

Time: 10:52

Location: Jerome's Treehouse

Sky watched as the animal twisted above him, trying to reach out and grab anything that would halt his fall. The animal turned and glared at Sky with pure hatred burning in those blue-grey eyes. "If this fall doesn't end you, Sky, I will kill you very slowly and painfully!"

Sky smiled.

And closed his eyes.

And counted down from ten.

He thought about his life, far back into his earlier, peaceful years, up until the entire fiasco with the animal, and then thought about now. If he were to die here and now, he wouldn't really mind. Sure, he knew that his friends would be devastated, but he knew that they could live on. He had lived a good life, there weren't many regrets for him to mull on.

Ten

He remembered when he first met Dawn, and how something had just… clicked when they saw each other. From then on, they couldn't truly be separated. Even if they were thousands of miles away, they still knew each other. They still loved each other.

Nine

Ty and Kermit had been his buddies. They were the first ones to try and snap him out of it when the animal first surfaced. It pained him that he would leave them without saying goodbye. It would probably hurt them even more. He wondered if there was some way of saying goodbye after he died.

Eight

And then the rest of Team Crafted. How would they react to his death? They would miss him, of course, but what feelings would they hide? What would they hold onto? Would Sky just fade away from their minds or would they remember him? For the first time in the fall, Sky felt a glimmer of fear. He didn't want to be forgotten.

Seven

Sky twirled in the air, now facing the ground. He watched the ground rush up to meet him and spread his arms, reaching out to the stars with his fingers. From this high up, he could almost touch them. Maybe he would be able to once he hit the ground. He smiled again and closed his eyes, embracing the cool wind whipping around him. He had always wanted to fly.

Six

He let a small sigh escape his lips as the animal screamed some more profanity at him. Without opening his eyes, called out "Shut up already. You might as well accept your fate, we're both dead anyway." The animal fell silent, blinking. He frowned and looked back down. "You know, this is all your fault."

Five

Sky shook his head and ignored the animal. Instead he thought of how his friends would survive without him. They couldn't just shake off his death very easily. (At least he hoped so) But they would get past it, right? They wouldn't linger too long in the past, he hoped. That wouldn't do any good for anybody.

Four

Sky curled his fingers, pretending that the wind was fine silk and strings slipping through his fingers. The air curled around him, almost as if it wanted to assure him that everything would be fine; everything would be alright. It was when he felt the air currents shift suddenly he became confused. He had learned a fair deal about the weather and the wind to know that right now, the winds shouldn't have suddenly been shifting like they were. Sky just shrugged and opened his eyes. A black feather floated down past his nose.

Three

The animal broke the silence with a scream. Sky glanced over at him to see something dark and feathery envelope the squid. Sky didn't have much time to think about what he had seen since the ground was already rushing up to meet him.

Two

The feathery thing moved away from the animal. Or rather, the dead body of the animal. Sky gasped at the pale grey body falling to the ground. The animal was dead? But how... He looked up and noticed a shape hovering above him. His chocolate-gold eyes met bright orange ones. They stared at him for a moment until Sky broke the gaze by glancing down. The ground was only a couple meters away when he felt hands clamp down on his shoulders, halting his fall and setting him on the ground gently.

One

"It isn't your time," a voice said just before Sky's world faded to black. He tried to fight against the sudden exhaustion, but it pressed in on him unnaturally. His eyes slipped close and he heard just two words before darkness took over.

"Not yet…"

Time: 11:00

Seto stumbled when they were brought back to the Overworld. For the first time in over a month, he took a breath of clean, crisp night air. When he looked around he wasn't jealous of the life that surrounded them. He didn't have much time to enjoy the feeling of being alive for long, though.

Jordan nudged him, gesturing to the large redwood tree a mile away. "Can you sense it?" he asked, voice low.

Seto paused then nodded; yes, he could sense the power surge nearing the tree. It was slightly muffled, he noticed. "Yes, but it's strange. Not like when I was a ghost. It must be because I'm a human now."

Jason coughed and pointed upwards. "Uh, guys? What's that?"

They looked above them and gasped. Five different colored streams were twining through the air, teaching out with groping fingers towards Jerome's Tree house. Red, blue, green, grey, and silver. Jordan glared up at the colors. "This is what happens when you let a demon have control of all the elements," he muttered darkly, eyebrows furrowing. He started to run. "We can still save your friends if we hurry. Come on!"

Seto kicked the ground and the dirt block underneath him floated up, then sped away with him on it. Jason shrugged off what was left of his spacesuit-minus his helmet-and jumped into the air, letting the currents carry him. Jerome grumbled something in annoyance and ran over to the nearest tree. He scrambled up it, making a vine grow. The bacca made his wobbling howl and swung to the next tree, then to the next and the one after.

The bacca watched, horrified, as the colors started to spiral together, speeding up towards the tree. He picked up the pace, passing Jason. The spaceman glanced at him, curling his fingers to make the wind live faster.

Seto watched the spiral of colors warily. He recognized magic when he saw it, and that was definitely magic. Elemental magic, but still. This was bad. He shoved out a hand and leaped off the dirt block. Several swirls of silver-purple formed around him, supporting his limbs so he could easily fly through the air. He picked up the pace, swooping down low to shout at Jordan. "Is that Herobrine?"

Jordan glanced up at the spirals and nodded grimly, jumping over a log in his path. "It's him, alright. He's heading towards your friends."

As he said this, his hands clenched into fists and lightning crackled. Seto glanced down at him, frowning, and then looked ahead of them. At this rate, Herobrine would get to the tree before them. "Can you teleport us?" Seto shouted above the wind, magic wavering slightly at the strong gales that washed around them as Jason neared.

Jordan looked up at him and nodded silently, digging his heels in and skidding to a stop. Jason and Seto landed nimbly and the three waited for Jerome to catch up. Jordan stuck an arm out. "Grab on," he said.

When they did, lightning shot down to meet the earth and the four disappeared.

Location: Jerome's Treehouse

Deadlox watched eyes wide, as his friend and the animal tumbled past the main level of the tree. This couldn't be happening...

"Sky!" Dawn cried out, running to the railing that surrounded the front porch. She leaned over, watching hopelessly as Sky fell through a cloud and disappeared from sight. "Sky..."

Deadlox came up behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned and started crying into his shirt, whispering Sky's name over and over again. Ty bowed his head and cried with her. The others did the same, all grieving over their friend.

Ryan glanced at Nick, then back out to the porch. They hadn't known Sky that well, but they still respected the butter loving hero. Yes... Hero was a proper title for Sky. The batman bowed his head in respect, closing his eyes and giving a shaky but sharp salute to the sky. Nick watched him, then looked out over the forest. Sky would be missed.

Location: Base of Jerome's Treehouse

Jordan held out a hand as they neared the base of the redwood tree. He silently pointed at a crumpled form lying next to a pond. The other three gasped and ran over to Sky. After a few tense moments, they sighed when his eyes fluttered open.

Jordan watched the skies, searching for the spiral that had suddenly disappeared. He narrowed his eyes at the clouds, wishing them away with a flick of his wrist. Without much hesitation, the clouds that promised rain floated away, heading towards the ocean to form a small hurricane.

Seto stepped away from Sky, not wanting the ex-infected to panic at the sight of him alive. He didn't want to go through that again. He looked up to watch the skies slowly clear. There wasn't any sign of the spiral, which was strange. He frowned and glanced back down at Sky, who looked like he had seen a ghost. Seto gave a slight wave at him. "Hey, Sky…"

"How are y-"

Fire started suddenly, springing up from the surrounding trees. In no time at all, it was a roaring forest fire. Icy shards pelted down on them, slicing their already torn clothes. The wind howled and raged around them, uprooting trees. Sky stood quickly, casting Seto a glance that said they'd talk later. The sorcerer nodded, summoning a few silver swirls to hoist him into the air. He could sense a spike of power up near the middle of the tree. He didn't have to look to know that a pair of blazing white eyes was glaring down at the five of them.

The group ducked and scattered as a bolt of lightning crackled down on them, bringing the demon down with it. Herobrine glared at them, eyes narrowed with hate. He glanced down to his left, where the limp body of the animal was sprawled out, broken, on the ground. He returned his glare to the five

Overworlders. He talked forward, unsheathing a diamond sword. "I am done with you idiotic mortals. I'll kill you myself!"

He flashed away and if it weren't for Jerome's quick reflexes, the bacca wouldn't have had a head anymore. And with a few more swipes and slashes, the battle commenced

Time: 11:31

Dawn watched the surprise ice storm with red puffy eyes. She couldn't believe Sky was gone. She wouldn't. There wasn't any way that he was dead. She didn't see him fall past the cloud line, that must have been an illusion. It couldn't have been him.

The others were quiet for once.

That was, until Seto was slammed through the wall. They jumped in surprise, watching the deceased sorcerer stand, wave, and jump back out the hole he had crashed through. "I'll explain later!"

Herobrine was growing bored of these humans. He made a few copies of himself spawn and they went to fight for him. He glanced up, where the others were filtering down the tree and into , perfect. He scowled and jumped into the winds, faltering slightly as he did so; he wasn't as used to the other elements as he was fire.

The demon growled and deflected a lightning bolt, courtesy of his son. He rolled out of the air, slashing a diamond blade at Sky, who ducked away in time to avoid having his head cut off. He'll kill this one, Herobrine decided. Without their leader, the others will falter and he could end them quickly. But as Sky took on the more defensive role in their fight, Herobrine knew that this would eventually get boring as well.

Time: 11:53

Seto made his way over to Jordan, slashing at the copies as he did so. They made a airy gasping noise and dispersed into dust as he hit them, only to form back together a few feet from their death point. It never ended, it seemed. When the sorcerer had reached Jordan, he called out above the sounds of fighting, "I think I may have a way to get rid of Him!"

Jordan curled a fist and shoved it towards the ground. The hail around them clumped together into a rock and fell onto a couple of clones, making them disperse. "Continue!"

Thunder crashed and lightning struck the ground.

"If we get Him back into the Nether," Seto shouted over the thunder, "I might be able to cast a spell and keep Him locked in there. I'll need your help, though."

Jordan' eyes narrowed as he took out Jerry's Sword, swiping the green blade through the air. "How much of my help?"

Seto was silent for a moment, blocking a wall of flame with a magic shield. "Remember before we went into the Nether? That kind of power is how much help I'll need."

Jordan cursed and stabbed his sword through a clone's chest. He turned and spat one word at the sorcerer. "No." Then he turned and continued fighting.

"It's the only way, Jordan! We can't continue on with this much longer! Look around, we're all exhausted!"

The demigod shook his head and fell silent, concentrating on the fight, and the fight alone. Nothing else mattered except staying alive and keeping the others safe. He wouldn't give Seto the help because he would lose control. Jordan didn't want to accidentally kill someone; he didn't want to lose himself and hurt them. But… what if he was able to keep control of himself? If he could, then this entire problem could be finally finished. It could be over.

It… it was a risk worth taking.

And as he took down another clone, he turned to Seto and nodded.

Time: 11:59

Sky swore and dodged another swipe from the diamond blade. His butter sword was gone-stolen away with a slash from the demon-and he had nothing to fight with anymore. He tried dodging as best as he could, but there were those little times that Herobrine got in a good cut on his arm or shoulder. He couldn't die, not here. Not now.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a purple and silver glow. He didn't focus on it too much until lightning bolts started striking around the glow. Then he glanced over, gasping at the sight before him. Swirls of glowing purple and silver spiraled up into the air, and lightning crackled across the sky towards the spiral. The wind picked up, creating a small tornado that started around the spiral. Water sprouted from the ground, creating thin lines that wrapped around the spiral; fire quickly followed. Vibrant leaves of different colors were swept up into the winds, cautiously dancing around the lines of flame.

And then the weather started going haywire, ruining the scene with jagged bolts of electricity and thunderous claps. Rain poured down in torrents, soaking the group quickly. The earth rumbled; rocks started shifting and moving like a living thing, crawling across the ground. It was Hell on Earth.

Jordan trembled, trying to keep in control of his rage. He couldn't let his friends down-not when they were this close. He could taste victory, just out of reach. But it was so, so close. So close. . . He started to space out, giving in to the anger that always came along with using this much power. He shook his head, squeazing his bright blank eyes shut in concentration. He couldn't lose focus now; that would mean certain death for the others. He ground his teeth together and focused on bringing the elements into the spire. If this worked, Seto owed him one.

Seto never glanced up from the ground, hands and wrists twitching in strange symbols as words of another language fell through his lips. Almost done, he thought to himself, just hold in there. He could rest his tired body once this was all over with. Just a few more minutes.

For the first time since being resurrected, he ignored the thrumming of his heart. He could only concentrate on the spell and staying awake. But… The thought of closing his eyes sounded really, really good right now... No. He would stand strong. He wouldn't let his friends down again. Never again.

Time: 12:01

Herobrine felt a tug somewhere from deep inside him. At first, it was soft and subtle-nothing to worry about. But then it grew. And as he watched the sorcerer and his son, he realized what was happening: He was going to be sealed back into the Nether! The demon growled and flashed towards Jordan, diamond sword posed, ready to attack. He could feel the vortex slowly pull him away from this dimension, towards the hell he had always belonged to. No, no, no, no! He would not fail; he couldn't!

He swung the sword in an arch, blue metal gleaming in the light moon that peered out from behind the rainclouds.

The blade came into contact with Jordan.

The demigod he once called his son crumpled to the ground.

But it was already too late.

Jerome stared at the vortex of elements, feeling a rush of pride when the frail but brightly-colored leaves sprung up from the trees around them to join it. He flashed a grin at Husky, who was leaning up against a tree that had recently grown in the battle. The fi- mudkip, had tried his best to fight, despite his healing wounds. He had used the pond that was nearby to his full advantage, and now puddles of mud and liquid were scattered around the redwood tree. The others had used whatever weapons that they had on them. Jerome was pretty sure that he had seen Dawn pick up her boyfriend's sword after Sky had dropped it.

But now, the sheer power of the vortex was… indescribable. He could feel the pulse of magic and the elements. The bacca glanced around, gasping when he saw Herobrine run towards Jordan who was completely oblivious to anything other than what he was focusing on. He saw the blade go up, up, then down.

Even from where Jerome was, he could hear the cry that came from the demigod as the sword struck his head. The fluffy sprung into motion, hefting a vine in one hand and an axe that he had somehow obtained in the other. He charged, and so did the others, but the demon was already being swept up into the vortex. They could do nothing but stare as Herobrine was pulled into the vortex.

They watched, too transfixed to do much else, as the vortex slowly turned a deep amethyst. Purple sparks floated down across them, sweeping around the Overworlders like snowflakes on a winter day. And with a scream of vengeance that was half-muffled, the demon was sucked back into his world, forever trapped in the scorching heat.

Jerome glanced away to see Jordan's friends, Nick and Ryan, clustering around the demigod. They called his name, kneeling down next to the lifeless Jordan with tears welling up. This couldn't be happening, not after all they had gone through.

"Jordan. Oh Notch no, Jordan! Wake up, wake up." They whispered, both repeating the same phrases over and over again. Seto collapsed next to the demigod, grabbing his wrist and feeling for a pulse. His breath left him and he glanced up, eyes flicking over each and every one of his friends. They stared back at the sorcerer, anguish flooding through them when he gave a tiny, almost incomprehensible shake of his head.

After all this-all this toil and trouble and pain, Seto thought. After all the running and fighting and blood… This couldn't be happening. Jason was the first of Team Crafted to kneel down next to the other three. Then Jerome, then Husky, then Sky, and the rest followed. Seto couldn't bear to look at them; he couldn't bear to know that the same thing had happened a month and a half ago when he had died. The sorcerer let out a shaky sigh, blinking the tears out of his already-blurry vision.

He closed his eyes and listened. He listened to the wind running across the trees; he listened to the leaves rattle, some crackling as embers from the fire that was dying; he listened to the plip plip plip of the rain dropping into puddles; he listened to the breathing of his friends, to their heartbeats. And, amongst all these sounds, he was able to discern a small voice say, "You guys don't n-need to… cry me a river… I'm not dead yet…"

Seto opened his eyes wide and looked down at Jordan, who was slowly moving to sit up. The others gasped, some jumping back to their feet. But in a rush, they all leaped forward to hug the-alive-demigod. They talked over one another, and even though they were all exhausted, everyone was thrilled that they were all okay. They were all alive, and together.

Maybe everything would be alright.

Just maybe…

Who sucks at fight scenes? ME! So yeah, I had basically tried every way, shape or form, to avoid a bunch of details about the fight. But you can get the gist of it, right? They fight a bunch of evil Herobrine clones while somehow surviving. :D So yeah, there'll be an epilogue up sooner or later, and then the end credits. So this is the second to last chapter. And I'll tell you what, my peopleses, I am so very, very joyed that you guys love it so much. I can't tell you how thrilled I am every time I see a new favorite, or a follow. I'm even more excited when I see a new review.

And don't even get me started on reviews. As of 10/14/13 this fic has 89 reviews. Just…. Oh my god, peopleses. I was only hoping for fifty, but I get close to one-hundred? Holy cow. So I'd like to thank everyone that has followed this through. And, well, goodbye! I'll be seeing you in the epilogue and end credits!

And can anybody guess who owns the bright orange eyes that saved Sky when he was falling? I'll tell you one thing: None of you will. But it's an opener for the next story.

And yes, I'm very aware that this chapter is a bit rushed, but I started it only Saturday. And it was originally going to be two short chapters, but I couldn't make that work. And I have a feeling you guys like long chapters. So, yup. :)

And do you think we can hit one-hundred reviews?

-Cold