--James--

The darkness surrounded so deep it didn't seem possible. Everything was endless, except us. I looked over to my team as we moved deeper. The only light was what was bouncing off our skin as we walked deeper through the room. 'Wait. Thats not right.' I looked back the way we came. "Just great, of course the door disappears once we came in."

"Not surprised at this point honestly." Bay said, offhandedly.

I would have been put off, or question why, but I knew why. This whole thing stunk of clichéd story telling tropes.

"Wha..What is this room?" Rowan asked. Stuttering, and filled with his voice filled fear.

That is not a good sign. I turned to ask what was wrong before Violet spoke.

"It's dark and freaky. Thats what's wrong with it." Violet said annoyed.

Looking over the team was so strange, as a few seemed to have shrunk? In the Darkness. "Why are you guys small? Are you shrinking?" That sounded better in my head.

Everyone stopped in there tracks. Taking in the surroundings and each other.

Bay was the first to speak. "I don't think we're shrinking. I Think its the darkness, and we might be drifting away from each other."

"But you sound right next to me?" Violet said to Bay. Bay as if tyo illustrate her point proceeded to reach out to Violet. Reaching nothing but air. She then started to move toward her, but instead of getting closer she appeared to move farther away.

"Yeah, trippy fucking room." Bay tried to say calmly, but I could hear the note of panic in there.

"And filled with dread?" Rowan commented.

That caught my attention, remembering what he said earlier. " Explain."

I watched as Rowan spoke but his words were far away. I couldn't quite understand him.

"I can't hear you." I could see him still talking like... he couldn't hear me. Thats when I noticed him fading. It was strange seeing everyone as though they were floating in the darkness, slowly being covered swallowed by the dark..

I tried to look over at everyone else but they were already gone. I looked around for anything but found nothing. When I looked toward myself nothing. "Guys?" My heart was racing. what was going on? How could there be such an intense darkness.

"GuyS!!! Where are you?" This time as I spoke I could barely hear my own words. They were being absorbed by whatever this was. The world was growing colder. I could feel the tendrils of darkness physically crawling over my skin. 'What the rot is this?' The darkness was swallowing everything.

I tried to stop moving but something was pulling me forward. In the darkness nothing was there, but my body moved through it. I could feel the wind as I was pulled ever deeper. A deep cloying fear reached deep inside me, twisting. When a blue screen appeared in front of me. The only light left in the darkness.

Mission Rank: ??     Type: Free Your Mind

Time Elapsed: N/A    Time Remaining: N/A

Details:

See the darkness to remember the light.

I had no time to even think about what was written before my mind was swallowed by the dark

I was lost in the dark when I heard someone shout. "James! James come on." That sounded like Rowan. Looked around to see Violet and Rowan over to my side. Rowan looked injured and it looked like Violet was attempting to heal him. I tried to remember what was going on but everything was muddled and dark.

"Yeah, James try to keep up." There was a hint of playfulness from Violet as she healed Rowan.

I looked down and saw my sword in a fighting stance, then looked up to see a giant plant monster with tentacles and giant bulbous body. It was called a creeping Planter, we were on the road looking for Aster. The Mayor had told us he was taken soon after we had left by this creature hear. We've been on its trail for days when we finally caught up to it. It was a horrible thing that kept it's prey alive for weeks before they succumb to it. It had taken them days to find the plant, and Aster didn't have much time left. They needed to take the thing out now.

After recovering from my dazed state, I moved to strike the creeper. My first step I fumbled nearly dropping my sword. I looked down to find a small root pull itself back into the earth. 'Shit' "Be careful of the roots."

"We know James, those can only trip us up. We need you to slice Aster free." Bay Yelled from the far side of the planter. She looked to be concentrating on something. Looking I could see frost appearing on the creature looking to slow it down.

"James we need to hurry." Rowan grabbed my shoulder and pushed me to move.

We ran at the creeper swords ready to chop it open, when one of its vines struck out at us. I was ready swinging down trying to sever it. My sword swung hard striking cutting through. 'Shit' I felt it go through but when I looked over I saw Rowans sword stuck in the branch. 'These things are going to be hard to cut.'

We both moved hacking and slahing through the vines. All the while the creeper slowly made its way back to the cliff behind it. The creeper was barely standing when we pushed it this far and almost frozen solid. 'How is this thing still moving.' We were all exhausted but we had almost killed it.

Seeing the weakness in the plant I charged in for one final push to shatter its bulb and free Aster. I ran hard into the plant creature sword forward shattering the plant and finding Aster spilling out in a pool of red.

'Oh shit, did I hit him?' I grabbed Aster to pull him away, thats when I got a good look at the red stuff. It was to thick and to bright red to be blood. That made me feel relived, until I saw Aster.

Aster's body was thin, gaunt, and much to pale. It was like he was missing a lot of blood. "Aster. Please don't be dead." His chest rose and I heard some raspy breathing. His eyes were open looking lost.

"Aster!" I practically shouted at him.

Aster's Eyes locked in on me. His words took me back. "How could you?"

"Aster we came as fast as we could." I tried to tell him.

He looked angry, like he might hit me if he could. "How could you leave me with that monster?"

I was confused. "We didn't know a monster would attack." Arguing. 'How could we have possibly have known that.'

"No the mayor. How could you leave me with him?" Aster looks terrified as if in grip of madness. "No! You're going to take me back! NO! NO! NO! I Already escaped I'm free. Stay Away."

'What did he mean by the mayor. What could he possibly... "Aster...How did you end up in the monster?"

"..." I could see confusion work its way through his fear.

"ASTER!! HOW DID YOU END UP IN THE MONSTER?" I did yell this time. I needed to know what did that man due. What could he have done to put this much fear in him, super-seeding whatever happened in that blighted monster.

"I..I...I Escaped the mansion, after weeks of...." Aster's eyes widened in fear before he swallowed. "I escaped, he chased me. I found something to hide in. Turns out it was a monster."

I would have laughed if it wasn't for the state of him, but my god how could we have let that happen to him. What kind of monster was the mayor. What happened to you Aster? I moved my hand to comfort Aster when he Screamed Again "I WILL NOT GO BACK!!! I WILL BE FREEE!!!!" From somewhere Aster pulled a dagger striking it into his own heart.

I looked on in disbelief as I watched him die. Afraid, lost, and out of his mind.

--Bay--

I woke with a tinge of panic. 'What. Where. What am I doing. Why was I asleep? Wait was I Asleep.

"Bay! FOCUS! We need a big burst." I looked over at Violet memories rushing back to me, we were on a mission to hunt down this giant dire wolf. I must have been hit by the wolf knocking me out for a minute. 'That explains the headache and the confusion.'

"BAY!" Violet yelled startling me back into action. I opened up all of my channels and began to pull, or that was what I was trying to do. When I reached for my channels it was like they were blocked by something or something was holding them closed. 'I must have been hit harder then I thought'

"Bay! I need something. I can't hold it for to much longer" James yelled out. He sounded exhausted. 'Shit how long have we been fighting this thing?'

I tried to focus back on opening up to the energy of the world. Much to slowly, I felt the energy start to pull in. Encouraged I pulled harder, I felt something strain but seeing James falling panic started to set in.

"BAY! HURRY, we need you!" Rowan yelled taking up the wolves attention when James fell.

I pulled with everything I could feeling something inside me shatter, flooding me with an immense amount of power. I focused speaking the words to guide my magic "Lightning Surrounds Chain and Fry" The energy ripped out of me flying directly for the wolf striking it directly into its chest. Lighting sparks and bolt flew all around the creature causing it to convulse and being unable to move. Rowan must have gotten to close cause I heard a scream.

Rowan was getting up when he looked at me angrily. "Seriously can you not aim?"

"How is it my fault you got to close to the electrified ball of death?" I was not as confident as I spoke. I may have also hit him, how could I be so stupid to use lighting when everyone was in close combat.

I began to pull again to take out the wolf, only to find I already was. 'Thats not good.' Energy was flooding through me faster and faster. 'Shit.' I tried everything focusing trying to close and stop the pull, but all I felt was pain on whatever control's those channels. It felt like trying to close a hot pipe by hand encased in broken glass.

"Bay...Why are you glowing." Violet asked, concerned

It started to dawn on me what was happening. "No.. No... No... No..." Manic overflow. I was warned of this for bigger spells, I was pulling in more energy then my body itself could handle. If I kept pulling the man would build and build. Eventually exploding, taking out everything around me.

I was starting to heat up hotter and hotter. Every cell in my body was screaming at me. 'Close. Close' "CLOSE" Why cant I stop pulling. Tears started to fall down my face from the pain.

I can't stop Why? What did I break.

My body started to glow bright enough for me to see it. I pulled all my will into closing or at least slowing it down. I think that's when I began to scream.

-- Violet --

My mind felt foggy, and muddled. I couldn't make out the world around me or remember what I was doing *AHHHHH*

The world was suddenly alive with the sounds of the pain and the smell of human flesh. Memory's slowly filled my mind still a little blurred around the edges. We were doing...something...something with traps... *AHHHH* . The screams broke through the fog clouding my mind. I got up as fast as I could to look around.

The stone room we were in was completely charred and pitted. The room empty excpet for me and my team. I quickly found Aster relatively close to me, badly burned. I could easily see not far away the others were burned but nowhere near as bad as Aster. That was when I realized I didn't feel anything at all. 'How am I not burned? Did he jump in front of it?'

I got to work as Aster lay their with half his face burned off and a spear through his gut. 'Where the hell did that spear come frome? Was it part of the fireball or something? Fuck.'

I opened myself up letting my energy out into the world guiding it into him, to heal him but something was wrong. 'What...what is that?'Why cant I feel anything. Did he die? No please don't, don't don't.' I couldn't let him die. I couldn't let any of them die. They could never experience that again. Not if I can help it. I can't see them loose more of themselves. I...I...I...My hands started shaking, I was barley able to keep control, holding onto the energy within Aster. There...I felt I beating. So far yet faint, but enough. That little bit of a spark was enough to steady my hands, allowing me to guide my energy into the most critical of areas while keeping him alive. Pump, Pump, Pump. Guide and heal. Pump Pump. Guid and heal. Pump. Heal. Pump. Heal. Heal. Heal. Pump. Heal.

Their the heart was fully pumping on its own. From there I focused on mending the worst areas, his skin visibly mending and no longer leaking over the cold stone floor. I had done it, I felt a tear run down my face. 'No time for that I need to help the others.' With Aster recovering I made my way to the others.

Making my way to the other's, to my relief, found them in much better shape. It just looked like the explosion knocked them out, with a few 3rd degree burns.

I got to work. 'Good thing you're all unconscious otherwise this would hurt like necrosis.' I watched as their skin mended and healed. New pink skin grew as charred and burned skin fell away.

I don't know how long it took to heal them all but when I was done I was tired exhausted and covered in things I would rather not think about. I stood to go check on my more damaged patient make sure he was fine.

'I fucked up.' Looking toward Aster I found I had forgotten one very important step in healing. Remove the foreign object. The spear was still sticking out of his gut, and his breathing had become shallow and raspy. I could hear it from here. What was worse I could see he had woken up.

His head turned to me. "Help, please."

My heart lurched and broke watching him like this. I would never say we were close but this. This was my fault, how could I not have removed the spear. Now he would need to feel everything as I pulled him back.

I ran up to him "This is going to hurt."

Aster looked scared but nodded looking to brace himself. Without a seconds hesitation I ripped the spear out and moved dug deep healing him.

He screamed. Oh how he screamed. It took an age to fix all the damage inside of Aster. I even had to fix his vocal cords, which just lead to renewed bubbling screams. "Almost there."

--Rowan--

Dread, fear, pain, suffering that was the closest I could come to describe the all encompassing darkness that surrounded me. I thought I would drown in it, until suddenly it was gone. The external dread, and fear I felt was gone. Anything I may have felt was my own.

Concern, comfort, pity, and worry. It was their emotions, before seeing them that reminded me where I was. We had just entered a near black room and all I could feel was that darkness. I looked up to see my whole team surrounding me looking concerned. Something about feeling that brought me comfort, but why was Aster radiating pity?

Looking over to him I looked questioningly. Aster looked so sad looking at me, but when I looked at him he looked away. I felt his embarrassment, what is up with him.

James was the first to speak. "Are you alright?" James asked

I shook myself, I was just inundated with so many emotions I must have passed out if they were able to get so close to me. "I'm fine. I think. What happened?"

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"Well. We were walking in big creepy dark room and you said something about filled with dread. Then you started screaming, and passed out. Standing." Violet Recapped for me.

"How did I pass out standing?" I looked around, I had come to the same conclusion but didn't know how I didn't fall.

"Not sure, but we are pretty sure you fainted or maybe you zoned out? I don't know it was kinda creepy. You just stood there. Eyes open, looking at nothing." Bay Said I could see a little shiver go through her.

I small thread of fear as an something hit me "Do you guys think I was the first?"

"Shit, you think the room might do that to us all?" Aster asked fearfully.

"I Don't know." I said

"Did anyone see a screen at all maybe we can figure it out from there." James asked.

I could feel the slivers of fear in each of them as we all began to look around. "I'm not finding anything." I yelled into the darkness back to my team.

This was repeated by everyone, and after every answer more and more fear was building. It was starting to get overwhelming. My hands were shaking and I was having trouble thinking straight. 'How is their fear so strong.

"Did anyone see the door in or out?" Violet Asked.

"No. Don't you think we would have said something." Aster snapped back, I could feel his anger but it was nothing compared to his fear as it kept building.

"Don't bite my head off!" Violet shouted back.

"Guys. We need to be calm." James said

I couldn't move anymore. The fear was overwhelming, all encompassing.

That's when it hit me. "PLEASE EVERYONE STOP!!! THE ROOM IS AMPLIFYING YOUR EMOTIONS!" I shouted to the room.

I must have startled everyone because there fear was gone for the moment replaced with nothing but confusion.

"What do you mean?" James asked concerned.

"As you guys got more scared. I felt it. I felt it all and then some."

"What was it like." Bay asked with morbid curiosity. 'So thats what that feels like.'

I tried to answer her but it was hard "The closest I can think is... suffocating." After I answered I looked around at everyone. They were right there but it was if all there emotions where traveling away. 'What the rot is this room?'

I spoke aloud as I realized "I can't feel anything."

Looking at James I saw his concern and his lips move but I couldn't hear anything. Then he began to fade into the nothingness of the rooom. I looked to the others but the were already gone. I was alone as my own fear began to build amplified by the room itself. Soon there was nothing left but the fear itself. 'I didn't know that a lack of emotion could be just as bad as to much emotion until now.' I grabbed onto that fear afraid of lossing what was left, I might have screamed.

--James--

I stared into the now lifeless eyes of my friend. 'Why Aster? You could have gotten better.' Normally, I would have known he would have been back. Normally, he would come back. No. I had watched the friend I knew die right here. I knew he wouldn't be coming back. I would have started mourning if it wasn't for the silence. The Silence I had just now noticed.

"Guys?" I looked up and around to find I was suddenly alone, except out of the corner of my eye I saw another carnivorous plant running away, with a feminine hand sticking out.

No time to think. I just acted giving chase. Flooding my body with as much energy I could to speed up. The wind whipped through my hair my muscles were tearing unable to keep up with the movement, but I didn't care I needed to save my friends. I gathered one last desperate act to stop it "One Moment".

The creature paused stumbling over itself causing Violet to Fly out of the plant looking dazed. Giving me enough time to strike the core of the plant killing it.

"Violet are you okay?"

Violet blinked listlessly, looking completely drained. Until fear covered her face. "NO! I CAN'T GO BACK!" Having seen this before I knew what would happen next. I Grabbed her hands before she could grab her knife. "NOOOOOOOO!!!" She screamed as I held her back.

"VIOLET!! YOUR FREE! YOU WON'T GO BACK"

Violet continued to struggle in my arms as I watched her muscles start to contort and grow. She began to overpower me as her form twisted and morphed. All the While I kept giving her reassurances.

I Don't know what finally broke through but suddenly she stopped. "...James" Her voice was fragile, and shaking.

"Yes. It's me. Your Safe." I said

Violets eyes began to rapidly blinked, looking over to the dead creature. "How.." She gasped shaking "How long, was I in there?"

"Less then a minute."

Violet nearly fell over. "Less then a minute. It felt like days."

I couldn't help but ask. "What happened, in there?"

Violet shuddered, seeming hesitant to answer. "Drained is the only word to describe it."

"But it was only a minute how could it make you want to end it?"

"Must be some type of hallucinogenic. Probably to make the meal easier....James."

"Yes?" I was dreading what I knew she was about to ask.

"Where is everyone else?"

I tried to avoid the question. "Heal me. I tore some muscle chasing this thing."

"JAMES!" She yelled.

I sighed. "I Don't know. Aster Killed himself and then the others were just gone. Did you see them do this?"

"FUCK." Violet jumped on my back. "Just fucking go. I will heal you as we search."

"I felt fire in my muscles as she moved and knitted them back into place. It hurt but I didn't have time to think on the pain so we ran. Back to the clearing.

We quickly found Rowan, through him broadcasting his pain. We were able to zero in on him in another plant hidden in a tree. The creature must have been asleep when we struck, as it quickly went limp.

We held Rowan down, and the same scene as before played again. Rowan trying to kill himself, us stopping him and Violet doing something to clear up the poison.

While we did eventually find Bay, she took a few hours to find. Then the same scene occurred except this time the poison lasted hours until we could get it out of her system.

I collapsed to the ground after finally freeing my team, alive. My muscles burned, despite all the healing Violet had done along the way.

Now that we were out of danger my mind wanted to deal with what happened to Aster. I wanted to just lay there and cry. I hurt, in more then just physical.

"Now what?" Rowan Asked.

I laid on the ground catching my breathe. "We go find Aster." I said adamantly.

"Why?" Violet Asked

"Why? Why? We need to see if he's ok." I responded. 'Why would she ask that?'

"I don't think he is." Bay said causally

"But that was just the poison." Rowan said.

Violet bent over me. "James he was in there for weeks. I don't think he'll be useful to us."

"So you just want to abandon him." I asked now, starting to get angry.

"Well, he is an idiot." Bay added.

I didn't know why they were talking like this but I wasn't going to let it go. "We can't just abandon someone who went through what he did. We already abandoned him once."

"Exactly, Why not again. Besides he always comes back. Like a kicked Puppy." Bay said with some derision.

"More like a lovesick toad." Violet snorted

"Guy can't even keep his emotions straight. Think He has Something wtong in his brain." Rowan commented.

I was getting angry. How could they talk about a friend like that? "What is wrong with you people?! I know you never got along all that well Violet, but Bay I thought your were like best friends?"

"Convenience. He gave good ideas, and didn't pester me. It was nice but gotta be practical." Bay said with no emotion.

I had never heard any of them talk like that about anyone, let alone Aster. "I think the poison is still effecting you."

Violet looked thoughtful for a second and walked up to everyone, placing a hand on each. "Nope. All the poisons gone. Why would you think that? We're just saying what we know your thinking to."

'Was I? Yes. I tend to have negative thoughts about everyone. Just like everyone why...would...they... "How did we get here?"

"We'll you mentioned checking on Aster." Violet said

"No No No. How did we get here?" I asked

"Oh. We found out about that dastardly Mayor." Bay said with levity

"Stop." Bay Looked at me annoyed for interrupting her. "When." I Asked.

"Like 2 weeks ago." She said shortly

I thought trying to remember "No. We were on the quest 2 weeks ago."

"Yeah. We finished it." Rowan said looking at me like I was an idiot.

I asked one final question. "How?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone sat silent waiting for something, no longer responding. As I witnessed this entire mess I spoke out loud. "None of you are real."

--Bay --

The energy was burning me. I tried again and again to stop the flow as I screamed. Nothing was working. My body was overflowing. I needed to do something. Somewhere, somehow my brain remembered we were fighting something. 'I'll let the excess into a spell.'

I looked up to see the massive wolf looking only sightly charred. Barely injured from my lightning, but Rowan was not. I could here him cursing up a storm nearby.

"Blights, damned lighting. Why did she use lighting

The giant wolf's sole focus was now on me, as I could see it prepared to lunge. I was burning but somehow I smiled. 'I need something stronger, so I don't explode and...Always wanted to try this.'

I willed the energy to flow letting imagination run wild believing. The wolf lunged as I spoke. "Reality Encapsulate Shatter and End"

I was to distracted by the pain and wolf to have noticed him. How could I have known that he would do something so stupid...ah. He saw me in danger and thought I was helpless. I'm sorry Aster.

My spell reached out encapsulating the targets in front of me. Aster had jumped out to intercept the wolf stabbing into it causing them both to tumble to the ground. That was when my spell hit. They froze in midair. Frozen to the spot. I could see them. I could see the realization hit both of them. The fear and anger I saw on the wolfs face was what I expected, but the tired look of resignation and sadness on Asters was not. His look said to me 'you're really doing this to me again?'

'Why did that look hurt so much?'

The frozen image of the wolf and Aster shattered to nothing, leaving a hole in the world. The hole lasted for just a second before everything within 30ft was yanked towards it, like suddenly being pulled by a rope. I was far enough away I didn't feel anything but Rowan and Violet, were pulled hard into the center. Tearing up there bodies. After being pulled violent, a loud crack sounded flinging them back away. I would have run to them to check on them but, I couldn't move.

I had burned myself out. I could barely breathe and my muscles where locked. 'Did I break myself?'

Letting out a small breathe I could visibly see Rowan and Violet breathing. Violet was healing as she lay there. 'Good she'll be up soon.'

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT BAY?" James yelled at me.

I stood silently unable to respond.

"Say Something! You just nearly killed us all!" James yelled again this time looking around. "I think you did kill Aster."

I couldn't say anything, I couldn't move, I could barely breathe. I think I wanted to cry, but James didn't appear to care as he went on.

"Did you do it on purpose?" James took my silence as acknowledgment. "Oh! You did!? I knew it! You think you don't need us? That we're holding you back? That we get in your way? Is that why you tried to kill us?"

"I..di.." That was all I could get out.

"What trying to backpedal now? Always thinking about plans inside of plans inside of plans. Not caring, at all."

"But..." I was trying to say I do care. But I couldn't form the words. I'm pretty sure I care...no I definitely care.

It hurt to know what I had always worried about being true. It hurt to learn my skills weren't up to snuff. It hurt so much to see that look on Aster's face, despite him always getting in his own way. He had tried to help. But why did he look resigned...Why...

I felt a burning, this time not from energy flowing through me. The burning I felt was toward myself at how I was messing this all up. Then something hit me. Why didn't I know if I cared?

Where am I? I looked around seeing a strange hill I'd never seen before, surrounded by stone. Something wasn't right. James has never spoken to anyone like this. Violet would have stayed back not gotten caught in a blast. Rowan would have been smarter. I thought; Trying to remember how I got here...Nothing. Only darkness. Darkness...It was the last thing I could truly remember. Despite my state words formed on my lips. "None of this is real."

-- Violet --

"Violet!" Bay yelled.

"HOLD ON! I've almost got him." I yelled back to her. It too a few moments for me to stitch him back together. He would be weak for a little while, as his own healing kicked in but as long as he didn't do something stupid Aster would be fine.

"Ok Bay. What is it?" I looked up to see Bay standing with black veins beginning to cross her face. Bay didn't say a word. I don't think she could she collapsed to the floor. "Poison! I Checked for that!" I ran toward Bay, looking towards Rowan and James laying unconscious on the floor. "Can fire be poisoned? or did something else happen?'

I reached Bay's limp form, while focusing on reaching into her body. I found nothing. There was nothing wrong with her body, but this was most definitely poison.

I reached deep into her looking for anything that shouldn't be their. Everything was fine, the poison wasn't clotting blood, causing internal bleeding, thinning the blood, it wasn't even narcotizing flesh. What the blight is the black veins? I searched deeper and deeper into her body still finding nothing on the cellular level, except cell death.

I tried to go deeper, but I couldn't go deeper then the cells themselves, I didn't have enough energy. Without any other choice I used some of Bay's. It was to help her, she wouldn't mind. Going to grab the energy, I felt it repel me, but I kept grabbing as I felt the power it felt tainted. 'The fireball must have corrupted our energy.'

"How the fuck do I fix that?" I sat there hand over Bay just staring at the corrupted energy field around Bay. Now that I knew what I was looking for it was obvious. 'I'm going to have to do a transplant...' I looked around seeing everyone collapsed with the same dark aura around them except for Aster, who had made his way over to us.

Aster still looked like shit. "What's going on?"

"Their energy has been poisoned." I tried to focus on the task instead of him.

"How is that possible?" Aster asked confused.

"Must have been the big fireball."

"Then how am I not like them?" Aster gestured toward Rowan, and James.

I shrugged. "No idea."

After a few moments of silence he asked. "Can you help them?"

"I think so but I need to transplant clean energy while removing the bad parts." I was still putting together all the stuff I would need to do to do this transplant.

"Then why aren't you doing it?"

"I don't know if I have enough." Why does saying that out loud make this feel impossible?

"Use me."

That pulled me out of myself. "What?"I looked at Aster now.

"Use mine."

I looked Aster over. He was barely even sitting up. He looked like a small breeze could kill him. "In your state it will probably kill you."

"But I'm expendable." He said pleadingly.

"What!? Why would you say that?"

"Come on you know its true."

"..." I had no words.

"See with that silence. Think of it this way, kill one to save 3."

I hated myself for even considering it. "No. I'm not loosing anyone."

"But Violet."

Why did that make me hesitate?' I firmed my resolve and said firmly "No I will save all of you. Bring them over here."

"....Fine."

We worked together to bring the others close together. I began to work. Pulling out globs of my own energy I grabbed hold of the blackness Isolating it and poking a hole for it to drain away. Slowly, but surely the poison was pulled out of everyone. I was struggling to focus as more of me was pulled out and into each of them.

I must have been worse then I thought when Aster spoke. "Violet you are fading you don't have enough to save them all."

I held firm. "Yes I do." The edges of my vision began to go black as I kept pushing.

"No you don't." This time Aster had a little edge

I just ignored Aster's negative comments, but I was afraid that he might be right. I didn't care I needed them to live. Even If I don't.

"I can't let you do this." My vision was slightly blurred as I felt one of the connections suddenly stop. Only with the connection severed did my vision focus. I looked over as Aster had taken his knife to Jame's throat.

It was at that exact moment I stopped trying to save anyone. I stared in disbelief at Aster then Laughed. "Ah this is all fake."

-- Rowan --

I felt a hand in the darkness. Flaring the fear that I had become my last lifeline to... anything. Instinctively, my body moved to shrug off the hand, only for it to be joined by another, then another. I wanted to scream, but it was just me and the fear, drowning everything out from everywhere.

It was in the hands to. Fear. It flowed threw it ever intensifying burning away all other emotions. Someone the foreign fear was comforting in a way. I wasn't alone in the dark anymore.

I grabbed upon my new lifeline, traveled down those threads of emotion to pull myself out. I pulled and pulled until I found something more then fear. Concern, affection, pride, and relief. I grabbed onto those emotions pulling them into me, to burn away the fear that grew like fire. As I did I felt new emotions upon my lifeline, surprise and pain. I didn't care what the emotions were I just needed something to drown out the fear.

The world came back to me, first shapes, then colors, then smell, and then finally sound. It was the sound that brought me back . All around me were my team, my friends holding there heads barely standing. I couldn't feel anything from them. Nothing.

"YOU ASS WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?" Aster raged at me, but I still felt nothing from him. Aster may have been severely unbalanced but I should feel some of his rage. Wait is he not really angry? Is this some sort of twisted act?

I was calm and measured when I responded. "I don't know."

"YOU STOLE SOMETHING FROM ME! GIVE IT BACK?" Again I couldn't feel anything from him. Not a hint of anything.

"Rowan What did you do to us?" This time it came from Bay with a hint of fear.

Again no emotion, but I could clearly see her afraid. 'Did I steal there emotions?' I looked around concerned. "I don't know. What do you feel."

"FUCKING EMPTY YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

James stood Holding Aster back from attacking me. "Rowan, I feel hollowed out. I think everyone else does to."

"I don't know what I did. I was lost in darkness and grabbed anything to free myself. When you guys touched me I grabbed anything I could to pull myself out."

"So you sacrificed us all to save yourself?" Violet asked calmly. To calmly.

"I...No. I didn't know what was happening."

"You selfish piece of shit. You would sacrifice your friends, your team just so you wouldn't be afraid. Taking...taking something from us? Blight I don't even know what you took I just feel empty." Aster raged.

"Wait. You know what I think I feel something now. Fear. I feel fear, Why am I so scared." James slowly backed away eyes wide body beginning to shake. I looked to the rest of the team, and saw the same. I finally knew what I did. I took there emotions and gave them my fear.

I could see it slowly overwhelming them some falling to the ground catatonic. Aster was the only one who stood, the rage on his face seemingly overriding the fear for now.

"Look what you did to us. Can you be anymore useless?" I was staring at the defiant and tall Aster that finally noticed it was Aster who had been outraged before James, Caught on before Bay, and concerned before Violet I started to laugh, "Ha, this isn't real."

-- James --

Their was no sound. No movement. No real transition. The world just changed. I was now in a bright white room surrounded by my team. The vision of battle gone, just me and my team.

Everyone looked...Shaken, and a little lost. As everyone looked around. Violet looked to have been crying.

"This one is real right?" Rowan looked to me asking.

"I...I think so." Violet said unsteadily.

"Everyone what is the last thing we did?" I asked to make sure.

Bay was the first to speak. "We were fighting....No their was a story."

Rowan added "Just darkness and dread, fear. No that was...We were in a room with statues."

"Healing from...no yeah statues we were rearranging them." Violet added.

"I think the statues were the last real thing. Aster what did you see I've not heard from you yet." The room was silent. "Aster?"

It was then that I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I don't remember Aster coming with us here."

'Ah. I was hoping that part of the memory was fake.' I gave an uneasy smile to Bay.

"Was he?" I asked

Bay shaking her head said. "No he didn't come with us."

"He was just their." I said.

"No that wasn't him. It's how I knew." Violet said hesitantly.

"Same." Rowan confirmed. 'What happened with them?'

Bay sounded sad when she spoke. "He died in mine."

I didn't know if that made me feel better or not. "Mine as well." I added.

The room went silent at this. We were all still lost and confused trying to figure out where our fake memories ended and what was real. But without Aster here it made it a lot easier to figure out. It also helped us realize that this was real. He was never here.

I didn't know about the other's but the first thing I was going to do once we are free is to find him, and make sure he is okay. I wanted more then anything right now, to not driven him to his doom, or left him to some uneasy torture. He didn't deserve that for any reason, I don't think anyone does.

It was strange. Being exposed to that vision made me think back more on the mayor. Agreeing with Bay that something was definitely fishy the way the man tried to split us all up. I will get answers soon.

Just thinking at what the man might be doing made me angry and it must have effected me more then I realized "Let's just finish this." I snarled the words out.

"Are you ok?" Rowan asked concerned.

I stopped to take a breathe and calm down "I don't think so but really are all of you?"

Violet looked around seeing the uneasy faces. "No, but there seems to be more with you."

"My vision showed Aster being tortured by the mayor. Until, I see it's not real I can't stop thinking on it."

I could see the understanding on her face. "It's because you care. Let's get out of here." Bay said consolingly.

I felt slightly better talking, something about saying it aloud made me slightly at ease. Thinking why would he torture him he prob just got him to leave or something.

We reached the door and tried to open it. It was then that a red screen appeared

  Error Detected.

  4 of 5 have passed.

  Attempting to find full team ....final member not present.

  Seeking status of Party member.

  Party member never entered room.

  Party has failed room.

  Initiating reset...

--James--

Cold. That was my first thought as the darkness of unconsciousness fled from my mind. Why was I so cold? My eyes tried to open but they felt so heavy. I was so tired. My eyes opened but was having trouble focusing. Everything was dark. Wherever I was it was only dimly lit. I could see some shapes across the room move slightly but I just couldn't seem to focus. The only thing I could tell was I was lying on a cold hard stone. I guess that's why I'm cold.

I tried to move my arms but they felt heavier than they should, refusing to move far. Odd. I rolled my head to look down at my arms. I found them in heavy manacles attached to a chain in the wall. Ok that mystery is solved... My eyes fell shut. Just so tired.

...

...