(A/N: At around 8400 words, we have a new longest chapter. Why do I do this to myself... I hope you like it anyway.)

Seto was lying on a hard surface in a fetal position, his eyes closed tightly as he whimpered in agony. His whole body felt like it was on fire and being torn apart with sharp needles. Everything hurt so much...

"Hey, are you there?" someone asked with annoyance.

Startled, Seto's eyes shot open and found themselves staring at... his own reflection?

But no, this reflection was that of him when he was a young child... and this child had red eyes...

"So it takes three days of no food for us to finally meet," Slotty muttered, also curled up in a fetal position. "Well, not counting when I was in a few of your nightmares, although that was fun."

Seto blinked in bewilderment, taking in his surroundings as best he could (he could barely raise his head for a few seconds). The room seemed pitch-black, but the only sources of light were from their glowing, fiery auras. Seto's was purple while Slotty's was red.

"So, not going to say anything, huh?" Slotty asked contemptuously. Although he looked angry on the outside, his eyes betrayed his misery and weariness. Was he also suffering the same pain as Seto?

"...Where... where are we...?" Seto asked weakly.

Slotty scoffed. "You know, the place you go in your mind when I'm in control?"

"...What...?"

"Oooh, that's right, you wouldn't know. You've never been in here long enough to actually wake up. You've never spent years and years stuck in here, unable to do anything!" Slotty snapped. "It used to have stuff, but now because we're starving to death, I don't have the strength to make anything appear anym-" Slotty cut himself off with a sudden gasp as he winced, curling up even further. He panted heavily as a piece of his aura actually ripped apart, floating away before dissipating into the air. "S-See what you've done?! Now we're both dying! We're getting eaten up by our own magic!"

"That's not my fault..." Seto mumbled.

"How is it not your fault?! You won't kill anyone! You're being weak like Master always used to say!"

Seto gritted his teeth. "I would never kill my friends. But you wouldn't know what that feels like, wouldn't you? Having a friend?"

"Shut up!" Slotty shouted. "I know more than you! You're the one without any real friends! Friendship is like having a master to serve!"

"...No, it's not."

"Well you wouldn't know, you're the one who killed our Master!"

Seto's eyes widened. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you're innocent! You're the one who took over control and killed Master!"

"You're the liar! You're the one who killed him! I had no control over it, you did! You're the only one who can turn into a dragon!"

"I would never kill my Master! You're the one who always disobeyed him like the waste of space you are!"

Seto opened his mouth to retort, but he found himself crying out as a blinding wave of pain crashed over him, making his whole body tense up. When he came to, he was shaking violently. Had he too just lost a piece of his soul?

"Wow, you've really become weak, haven't you?" Slotty asked. "I guess that's why you finally woke up here and I can talk to you. But you're super selfish, you know? You know that if you die, I'll die too. Maybe you're fine with dying, but I'm not! I want to live!"

"Why should you deserve to live?" Seto spat, rage boiling in his chest. "You- you killed and tortured all those innocent people!!!"

"I did it because Master wanted me to!"

"You're just a monster who ruined my life!"

"No, you're the one who ruined my life! You should have died in that operation, but you just had to make the experiment a failure! I could have been a perfect servant for Master, but you had to ruin everything for me!"

The two of them glared at each other reproachfully, but they each knew that they were too weak to do anything about it. Besides, killing one half would kill the other.

"At least... consider killing someone?" Slotty asked hopefully.

"Never..." Seto hissed back in reply. "I'll gladly die if it means I get to save everyone and take you with me... Then everyone we hurt will finally get justice..."

"Fine! Be that way! Besides, I've been watching your memories and..." Slotty tried to grin but found himself coughing violently. "...and... I think someone else is going to die before we do... So don't worry about it too much..."

Seto's face paled. "Who?"

"Why would I tell you? Besides... it's just a hunch..."

"Tell me! Tell me who!"

"Ehhh, a few people. Mostly that... um... Stevie...? Steven? That weird monster man..."

"Why Steven?" Seto asked, bewildered.

"I don't know, I said it's just a hunch..." Slotty grumbled.

"S... Steven... might die...?" Seto blinked groggily and yawned, overcome with sudden lethargy.

"Oh, guess you're waking up. Sucks, you only got a few hours of sleep."

"Huh?"

"You know, our body's waking up."

"It's my body, not yours."

"It should have been mine..."

"No one else is going to die but me... and you..." Seto mumbled.

"Hah! We'll see about that! You're not strong enough to save everyone, no matter how much you want to! They're going to die in despair, and you can't stop it!"

That was the last thing Seto heard before everything went black.

~~~

When Seto woke up, the first thing he registered was something pressing against the side of his hip. He turned his head and saw Tyler still sitting on his chair, but he was bent over and pressing his face down on the bed with his arms folded in front of his head. Tyler's arms pressed against Seto's hip again as Tyler flinched in his sleep, murmuring something muffled by the mattress.

Guilt washed over Seto as he realized that Tyler had let him hog his bed, forcing him to sleep on the chair. It had also clearly been a conscious decision, given that Tyler had taken the time to "dim" the lights by turning the mirrors around so that they blocked the candlelight. Seto sat up and thought about making Tyler take the bed instead when he heard Tyler whimper loudly.

"N-No..." Tyler mumbled, twitching as his breath hitched repeatedly. He turned his head from side to side, the fabric rubbing roughly against his skin. "No... 'M sorry... Sorry... Sky..."

Seto paused for a moment before reaching out and running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to comfort him. He felt his stomach twist as Tyler choked out a pained sob, shuddering more intensely. "P... Please no..." he whispered in a soft, broken voice. "No, no, no... Please... No..."

Seto quickly shook Tyler's shoulder. "Tyler!" he hissed. "Wake up!"

Tyler moaned in anguish. "Please!"

"Tyler, wake up!"

Tyler sat up with a jolt, his eyes widened in absolute terror as he screamed. "SETO, NO!!!" he cried out in desperation, before panting heavily and looking up to meet Seto's gaze.

They stared at each other for a few moments, not sure what to say. Seto noticed that Tyler's face was blotched red and covered in wet tears.

Noticing the tears as well, Tyler blinked rapidly and wiped them away, forcing a laugh. "Oh- I'm sorry- I didn't wake you, did I? Sorry about that, I had the worst dream, you know it happens sometimes, nothing special-"

"Tyler," Seto interrupted.

Tyler gulped. "Yes?"

"What were you dreaming about?"

Tyler fidgeted awkwardly, clasping his hands together in his lap and twiddling his thumbs. "I... um... F-Funny you should ask that, hehe..."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but... why was I in your dream?" Seto asked hesitantly. He was afraid of the answer. If Seto had been in Tyler's nightmare and terrified him to such a degree, then that could only mean...

"Does your arm hurt?" Tyler asked, looking at Seto's bandaged arm. "How are you feeling overall?"

Seto bit his lip in disappointment. Well, he did say that Tyler didn't have to tell him. "Does it matter? It's only going to get worse from here."

"Don't say that!" Tyler shouted suddenly. "Why do you want to die so badly?! It's like you don't care about your life at all!"

"As long as everyone else gets to live, I don't see a problem-"

"Well you should! Why do you have to be a sacrifice?! There must be another way!"

"This is the easiest way," Seto murmured, closing his eyes. However, they shot open in surprise when Tyler suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward so that their faces were inches apart.

"You have to find another way!!!" he shrieked, shaking Seto desperately and peering straight into his eyes. "Promise me you'll try to survive this!!!"

Seto was too stunned to reply properly. "B-But-"

"Please!!! Please, you have to live! You have to at least try! Just promise me you'll try! Please!!!" Tyler howled before bowing his head, resting it on Seto's chest. "Please... I can't lose anyone else..." he whispered.

Seto stared down at him, his mind swirling. He sounded so upset, it hurt to watch....

Tyler slowly let go of Seto and sat up, sniffling again. "S-Sorry about that-"

"I promise."

Tyler looked up in surprise. "You what?"

"I promise I'll try," Seto said quietly.

Tyler's eyes lit up. "You- You will?"

Seto nodded after a moment. "If it makes you feel better..."

"Don't do it for me! Do it for yourse-"

"Do you want me to change my mind?"

Tyler's face fell. "No... But... I just don't get why- Ahh!" Tyler hissed as he clutched his abdomen, wincing in pain.

"T-Tyler? What's wrong?" Seto asked, rushing to grab his shoulders and support him.

Tyler breathed through clenched teeth for a few moments before relaxing. "N-Nothing- Nothing's wrong-" he stammered weakly. "Nothing... Nothing's..." Tyler's eyes rolled back in his head as he went limp and collapsed forward on the bed in front of Seto.

"Tyler!!!" Seto quickly pulled him up and turned him over so he was lying on his back, his lower legs dangling off the side of the bed. Poor Tyler had passed out completely. Three days of no food was clearly taking its toll on him too.

Seto stared at him for a few moments, thinking carefully, before he narrowed his eyes in resolve. He knew what he had to do to keep his promise. Seto slowly got off the bed and stood up on shaky legs, moving Tyler so that his head was on the pillow. He gently brushed the hair from his eyes and covered him with the blanket before taking his own and wrapping it around himself. However, there was still one more problem he needed to take care of.

Seto opened the door and peeked outside. As luck would have it, he saw Bonks standing in the hallway, lost in thought. "Bonks?" he asked, approaching her.

"Eek!" Bonks shrieked, whirling around. "Oh- Seto-! You scared me!"

"Sorry..." he mumbled, looking away awkwardly.

"It's fine, I was just a bit distracted..."

They went silent.

"Um... Is there any way to lock the doors?" Seto asked.

Bonks sighed. "No, we never got keys..."

"I thought so," Seto murmured.

"Have you seen Steven anywhere?"

That question startled Seto. "No, I only now just left Tyler's room. Why?"

"After he ran out last night, I chased after him, but I couldn't find him! I went into his room because it wasn't locked, but he wasn't there. So I checked pretty much everywhere I could, but because it was Night Time, the parkour course and the greenhouse were off-limits. Night Time hasn't ended yet, but I'm pretty sure he's in there... right?" Bonks trembled in fear as she crossed her arms. "I'm worried about him... Ever since he lost Bart and Dave, he hasn't been the same..."

Seto thought for a moment before making his decision. "Well, this isn't exactly related, but can I ask you a favor?"

Bonks stiffened. "Um- A favor-?" she stammered, stepping away nervously. "Wh-What kind of favor-?"

"I know this is going to sound weird, but just hear me out-"

"Hear you out?!" For some reason, Bonks looked like she was on the verge of bolting out of the scene, like she was fighting her instincts of fight and flight.

"Tyler's not doing so well. He fainted because he hasn't eaten in days."

Bonks' posture relaxed slightly, although her terrified expression changed to that of concern. "Oh no! Is he okay?"

"He's sleeping right now, but..." Seto glanced at the door. "With no lock, he's unprotected. It wouldn't be safe to leave him alone."

"Aren't you going to stay with him then?"

"I can't."

"...Why not?"

"I have to do something."

"Like what? Annie said that we shouldn't keep you out of our sight."

Seto bit his lip. "Please, trust me this once. Just keep watching over Tyler and make sure he isn't alone and unguarded. I promise I want to help everyone."

Bonks hesitated for a few moments before sighing in resignation. "Fine... I'll make sure Tyler's safe..."

"You have to make sure he isn't alone!"

"I won't, I promise I won't leave him alone. Just- Just don't do anything dumb while you're gone!"

"Thank you," Seto said in relief. Bonks started walking over to Tyler's room when Seto spoke up again. "One last thing?"

"Yeah?" Bonks asked, turning around.

Seto tried to force down the feeling of guilt. "...If... If something happens to me... Tell Tyler I tried to keep my promise..."

Bonks' eyes widened. "Wh-What are you talking about-?"

"Just tell him if something happens. Please."

"I... I will..." Bonks said falteringly.

"Thank you," Seto repeated.

Bonks gave him one last concerned look before entering Tyler's room and closing the door behind her. Seto released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and walked towards the end of the hallway where the elevator was. Obviously, there was no way Seto would ever survive the parkour course, so the only other option was to try the VIP Floor MonoWither had mentioned.

His hand shook as he raised it and pressed the button. The doors slid open, revealing a normal elevator. Seto cautiously walked inside before looking around. He quickly found the panel of push buttons, which only had one button: an up button. There was obviously a lot of choices in terms of direction, Seto noted dryly, as he pressed the button and the doors slid shut. However, a second later, the lights flickered out and plunged Seto into darkness. Seto swallowed down his fear as the elevator rose up, ignoring its strange, sour smell. He couldn't afford to be afraid now. He had nothing to lose...

The elevator came to a gradual halt and the doors slid open.

Seto took one look inside the dark room before him.

And then he swore his heart stopped.

"...Steven?"

~~~

Steven was kneeling down on the cobblestone floor, his head pressing down onto the ground as he clutched his black hair. Seto gulped as he hesitantly approached him. "Steven?" he repeated, a sickening sense of dread rising within him with each step he took. He could hear Steven making terrified whimpering sounds as he trembled on the floor.

"Bart... Dave... don't leave me... no..."

"Steven!" Seto hissed, grabbing his shoulder and flipping him over. Steven's eyes were clamped tightly shut and his face was stained with old tear tracks.

"No- No!" Steven choked out hoarsely. "Come back!"

"Steven, wake up! Wake up!" Seto shouted, shaking him violently.

"Mom... Dad... I'm sorry..."

Desperate, Seto raised his hand and slapped Steven's face. "Wake up!"

Steven's eyes shot open as he finally woke up... at least, it seemed like he did.

"Steven, are you okay-"

"Ah!!!" Steven shrieked, pushing Seto away and scrambling backward on all fours. "G-Get away from me- No-! You're supposed to be dead-!" Steven's eyes seemed fixated on Seto, filled with horror.

"What?" Seto asked, dumbstruck. "Steven, what are you... talking... about..." Suddenly, Seto felt all his muscles tense up in apprehension as he heard the familiar sounds of someone's boots thudding against the floor, approaching him.

"Seto... why aren't you facing your master?"

Seto's body seemed to move against his will as he turned around to see Master Hennessy standing there. However, he looked just like he had the last time Seto had seen him...

"Now, now Seto... Don't tell me you're disgusted... You're the one who made me like this, after all..." Master Hennessy said, stepping forward despite the fact that his body had been brutally torn to shreds.

Seto's breaths quickened as he backed away, unable to tear his eyes from the horrible, gory sight. "I'm sorry- It was Slotty- not me-"

"Lying is bad, Seto..."

Seto whirled around with a barely stifled shriek. His father, his face blue and swollen, had his arm wrapped around a woman. This rather short, russet-haired, and freckled woman was someone he had only seen in a photograph, but she now looked very, very real. Real, and with a pale and deadened face.

"We could have lived a long, happy life together... if it weren't for you..." Seto's father said, glaring at him. "There's no one to blame but you, Seto..."

Seto whined in terror as eight more figures emerged from the shadows and surrounded him, all sporting their mortal wounds.

"You failed to save us..."

"You executed us..."

"You just stood there and watched us die, you monster..."

"No..." Seto said faintly, his choked sobs overwhelming him as he stared in terror. "I'm sorry... I wanted to save you... I really did..."

All of the dead people spoke in unison.

"Why do you get to live instead of us?"

"I... I-!"

"You don't deserve this life... You never did... All you ever do is hurt others..."

More and more bloodied corpses emerged by the dozens. First, there were the 16 Hope Organization members who had died just the day before. Then came the people who had perished during Seto's time with the Order. There were so many, Seto couldn't even see all of them.

"Why continue living? Why don't you just die right now? Why fight to live?" everyone asked.

Seto looked around wildly, completely paralyzed in fear. He felt like it was a cobra slowly choking him to death. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even think. His heart was pounding like it was about to explode from his chest and everything felt too real. He couldn't escape...

"Continue to live, and the others will soon join us... They don't trust you, and for a good reason..."

To Seto's growing horror, the blood from everyone's wounds began spilling by the gallons, collecting on the floor and covering Seto's bare feet. The sticky warmth and metallic smell made Seto choke, but he couldn't move, not even as the blood formed a pool that was rapidly rising.

"There's too much blood on your hands... You'll never redeem yourself..."

The crimson blood rose up and up, reaching his chest.

"No-! I didn't want to hurt anyone-!!! Please believe me!!!"

Seto was hyperventilating but still paralyzed, although he was able to crane his neck in a feeble attempt to avoid being submerged.

"You can't save anyone... We've all died because of you... Because you're worthless..."

Seto barely managed to take a sharp breath and close his eyes before the blood covered his face. Suddenly, the floor beneath him collapsed and he was sinking down into the unknown depths.

"Everyone else will meet the same fate... And you can't do anything about it..."

Although he was engulfed completely, Seto could hear everyone's tortured screams loudly and clearly. Seto panicked as he writhed desperately, struggling to swim, but he couldn't, he didn't know how to, he couldn't hold his breath for much longer, the hot blood was going to boil him alive if he didn't drown to death first and he knew he deserved it all, every last bit of this suffocating, endless, warranted torture-

"SETO, WAKE UP!!!"

Seto jolted awake with a loud gasp for breath. Air, he had air! He could breathe again! In those moments, oxygen was the most precious thing Seto had ever possessed. He was so relieved, he almost wanted to laugh.

After making sure that he was not, in fact, surrounded by corpses and drowning in a pool of blood, Seto noticed that Steven was kneeling beside him, gripping his shoulders, and staring down at him with worry and concern.

Seto coughed a little. "Steven? What... happened...?"

Steven sighed in relief and let go of him, but didn't reply. It seemed like Steven had once again gone mute. Seto thought back to what had happened before his hallucination. (He couldn't think of a better term for it.) He had gone to the VIP Floor, seen Steven hallucinating as well and woke him up, before experiencing something similar.

The only explanation he could think of was the strange smell in the elevator. It must have been some sort of hallucinatory gas. But if that was true, then that must mean Steven...

Seto sat up slightly by propping himself up on his elbows before turning to face Steven, who was staring down at the floor with a solemn, weary expression.

"Steven... did you go through this for hours?" Seto asked, horrified.

Steven met his gaze briefly before looking away, pained. There were dark bags under his exhausted eyes.

"Then if I hadn't woken you up..." Seto trailed off, not willing to picture it.

Steven suddenly lunged forward and embraced Seto.

"Oh-! Um... Thank you too... for waking me up..." Seto said shyly, patting his back. "I'm glad you're okay..."

Steven let go of him and pointed at the elevator.

"What are you trying to say?" Seto asked.

Steven jabbed at Seto's chest with his finger before pointing at the elevator again.

"...You want me to go back?" Seto said incredulously. "No! I'm not leaving you here!"

Steven closed his eyes as he stood up and walked behind Seto, kneeling down.

"H-Hey, what are you- HEY!"

Steven looped his arms around Seto's armpits and pulled him up before dragging him backward towards the elevator.

"Let go! Hey! Stop!" Seto shouted, writhing desperately to no avail.

Shit, he's stronger than he looks! I have to think of some other way to stop him!

"You can't take me back! It's impossible!"

Steven paused briefly and stared down at him in confusion.

"You were in the elevator, right? There's only an up button! There's no way you'd be able to get me back down to the first floor!"

Steven dropped Seto and ran to the elevator, only to see that there wasn't even a button to open it. Undeterred, Steven struggled to pry apart the doors with his hands, even trying to use his foot to separate them.

"Stop it, Steven, it's no use! We're stuck here!" Seto shouted, shakily rising to his feet and pulling him away. "Like it or not, I'm here with you."

Steven finally gave up, although he glared at the elevator with frustration.

"Look, there's a door over there. That's our only way out," Seto said, gesturing as he made his way towards it.

Steven hesitated for a moment before finally conceding and following him.

Together, the two of them entered the next room.

~~~

To their surprise, the room was relatively empty. There didn't seem to be any visible exit. All it had was a small table, and on top of that table was...

"...A gun?" Seto said in disbelief, approaching it hesitantly. Specifically, t was a revolver with an eight-shot cylinder, and it had a MonoWither face on its grip. There were eight bullets lying on the table and a note.

Steven grabbed the note and began reading it before Seto could.

"What does it say?" Seto asked.

Steven's eyes scanned the paper carefully as they widened in growing horror.

"What does it say?" he repeated.

Steven glanced up at him sharply before crumpling the paper and clutching it to his chest.

"H-Hey! What does it say?!"

Steven shook his head and backed away, hunching over to shield the paper.

"Steven, please be honest with me. Just tell me what it says or we'll never get out of here." Seto reached his hand out towards Steven.

Steven paused for a few seconds before reluctantly giving the paper to him.

Seto unfolded the paper as quickly as he could without ripping the sheet and read its contents.

Dear Guest,

We at MonoWither's All-Inclusive Resort hope that you are enjoying the recreational VIP Floor. To reach the next room and delight yourself with further fun activities, you MUST complete this simple yet classic game.

Before you is a revolver gun and 8 bullets. We hope you know how to load the bullets, but if you don't, pray for beginner's luck! Anyway, everyone knows the game of Russian Roulette. It's a must-have for any sensible resort! It adds the perfect amount of thrill and anxiety to any party!

In this version of Russian Roulette, you may add as many bullets as you want (add all 8 if you want to, we won't stop you! After what you've just seen, it's a perfect response!), but one is the bare minimum. You must spin the chamber, point the gun at your head, and pull the trigger at least once! If you have friends with you, anyone can attempt.

That's all there is to it! We hope you enjoy this thrilling game and we'd like to thank you in advance for possibly painting our walls for free! Crimson is the perfect shade for paint, don't you think? Why else is there the word "pain" in "paint"?

Sincerely,
MonoWither

Seto lowered the paper. "Even when I think I'm used to their sadism, they always manage to surprise me," he muttered contemptuously.

Steven nodded in assent before raising his left arm, clenching his jaw as he glared at his bangle with frustration.

"What's wrong?" Seto asked.

Steven flinched as a guilty look crossed his face. He drew himself inward to hide the bangle, but then changed his mind and reached for the button, pressing it.

DIRECTLY KILLING YOURSELF (will result in Bart and Dave's deaths)

"...Steven, that's..." Seto said in disbelief, trailing off. "If you didn't have that as your Forbidden Action, would you have really killed yourself to save them?"

Steven nodded without hesitation.

"Um... I'm glad you trusted me enough to show me that, but why now? I don't under-..." Seto looked at the note again, realization striking him. "Oh, Steven, I wouldn't have let you do it anyway. I'm the one who's dying, I should be the one to do it."

The conflicted, remorseful expression on Steven's face showed how much he both wanted and did not want to stop Seto.

Seto picked up the revolver and a bullet, trying to breathe as steadily as possible. However, he couldn't seem to get his hands to stop shaking violently as he attempted to put the bullet into the chamber. He struggled to calm down but didn't quite succeed, and he ended up dropping the bullet onto the floor with a clinking sound. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath, scrabbling for a few moments to pick the metal object up with sweaty fingers before finally doing it.

Steven looked at him with utter helplessness, sympathy, and sadness--his doleful black eyes said it all.

Seto took several deep breaths. "You can do this," he whispered to himself as he pushed the bullet inside. "Th-There we go..." He gulped as he spun the chamber so that he couldn't see where the bullet was.

Steven whimpered slightly, backing away.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Seto said, trying to reassure him (and himself). "It- It's just logic! The weight of the bullet means that it's most likely at the bottom of the cylinder... Plus, the odds are seven to one... 87.5% chance of survival..."

Steven did not look very reassured, to say the least. He actually started covering his ears with his hands and trembled on the spot.

Seto's hand shook as he raised the gun and pressed the barrel against the side of his head. His other hand clutched the blanket that was still wrapped around his figure. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. Sick to his stomach, Seto tried to swallow down the rising bile and get a hold of himself. He wanted to say some last words to Steven just in case, but at the same time, he was so nervous he couldn't think of a single thing. No, he couldn't keep hesitating! He had to do it, or he and Steven would never get out!

Seto shut his eyes tightly and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Seto gasped sharply in relief and immediately placed the gun back down on the table. He pushed his hair back with his fingers, laughing shakily under his breath. "I did it- I can't believe I did it-" he stammered fervidly.

Steven let out a huge breath and smiled slowly, equally relieved, as he lowered his hands from his ears and approached Seto.

"S-See? I told you it would be okay..." Seto said. "Now how do we get out of here?"

Right on cue, a stone column from the wall pushed itself outward before swinging open like a door, revealing a long and slightly narrow hallway. It was dark, but it led to a room at the end. Seto and Steven looked at each other before hesitantly stepping inside.

That was when the column slid shut again, trapping them in the corridor. Steven squeaked and tried pushing the entrance open, but it was no use. Seto and Steven were too scared to move forward through the darkness, despite the fact that they could see the next room on the other side in the distance. All they could hear was their own breaths and strange scuttling sounds above them. Where had Seto heard these noises before? He felt like he should know, but his mind was starting to get muddled from the hunger...

Steven suddenly grabbed Seto's wrist and pulled him forward, running full speed ahead. "W-Wait!" Seto shouted, struggling to keep up. "Steven, what are you-"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground shook as something huge crashed down behind them. Seto looked over his shoulder and saw that stone walls were rapidly plummeting down from the ceiling, one by one, towards them. If they couldn't outrun this onslaught, they'd be crushed and flattened into a bloody mess... Unfortunately, Seto's breathing was already winded with exhaustion and his legs felt like they would fall off at any minute. The only thing keeping him going was raw adrenaline and Steven's firm grip on his arm as he continued dragging him towards the light.

Suddenly, Seto tripped over his own feet and collapsed to the ground. Steven stopped and turned back, horrified. Seto struggled to get up, but he could hear the walls approaching fast. "Go, Steven!" Seto shrieked desperately. "Go on without me!!!"

Steven ignored him as he rushed to his side and pulled him up. Seto instinctively reached for the blanket that he had dropped, but Steven dragged him away before he could grab it, forcing him to leave it behind. The blanket was the least of his worries as they once again ran for their lives. Seto could barely keep his head up, so he had no idea how far away the room was. All he could do was blindly trust in Steven and follow him.

Before he knew it, they were engulfed in light as they finally reached the room. Seto and Steven stopped running and turned around, watching as the walls crashed down before stopping at the last one. Seto sank to his knees and panted heavily, completely debilitated and slightly nauseous. Steven crouched down next to him, concerned and worried, also breathing heavily. "I'm fine..." Seto wheezed. "Thank you... for saving me..."

Steven nodded in acknowledgment as he stood up and looked around. There was a large glass wall on one side of the room and a pair of huge doors on the other. They could see a morning sky outside the glass. Steven walked over to it and tapped the clear surface, confirming that the barrier was indeed glass and not more digital screens (although the morning sky probably was made by said screens). Seto crawled over to the glass and looked down to see...

"The greenhouse?" Seto wondered aloud. It looked quite small from their perspective, although there appeared to be a nice green field around it (definitely the result of more digital effects). The VIP Floor was higher up than he'd thought.

Steven turned away and examined the doors next. He tried turning the knobs but found the doors were locked. There was an e-Handbook scanner next to them. Steven pulled his out and tried scanning it, but the light only flashed red.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?!" MonoWither appeared suddenly, startling them both. "Congratulations to the both of you! It seems you've successfully overcome the three trials of the VIP Floor! The first was a challenge of the mind; a conquering of one's worst memories and fears! (The gas would have worn off after a few hours, FYI!) The second was a challenge of the spirit; overcoming the fear of our unknown destiny! And finally, the third was a challenge of the body; overcoming physical adversity in the face of approaching death! Body, mind, and spirit! (Fun fact, if you transmit specific electrical waves, you can control what silverfish do!)"

"Your favorite number is three, isn't it..." Seto muttered. "First there's the fact you chose a three-headed Wither as your mascot, then you went on some tirade about the duality of hope and despair existing in one person or something like that, and then you told me about the 'Three Despairs'..."

At the mention of the last point, Steven gave Seto a strange, perplexed expression.

"Why, what's wrong with the number three, huh? It's a beautiful number... Anyway, now you've finally unlocked the secret of the VIP Floor, so we'll do the honors!" The scanner flashed green. "Behold, a way to escape your current predicament and reclaim your lost possessions!"

Seto peered inside, filled with apprehension and dread, as the doors slid open.

And then he felt his heart drop once again.

It was an entire auditorium with an empty floor surrounded by tons of weapons piled up against the walls. There were far more in supply than the ones in MonoWither's old shop. They all seemed to be made out of iron, but there weren't just swords, axes, and bows and arrows here. No, there were also spears, flails, clubs, maces, scythes; the list went on and on. On the "stage" of the auditorium were more weapons, but there were no lights there, so Seto couldn't see the rest in the back. On the opposite side of the stage were two doors.

The two men slowly entered, looking around in total shock.

"Upupupu! You like it? Hopefully you're satisfied with this reward after all your hard work!" MonoWither giggled.

Seto glared at the machine. "I should have known you'd have something this evil for us!"

"Evil? These are just weapons! You know what they say: swords don't kill people, people kill people! The weapons aren't evil!"

"With your motives, obviously there's only one evil thing you intend for us to do," Seto muttered. "Well it won't work! Since my time's almost up, no one's going to kill anyone!"

"Hmm, seems like you're a party pooper. Anywho, since you've defeated all the obstacles, the weapons room can now be accessed easily by anyone! They won't need to overcome the trials that you have! So if we were you, we'd start getting the first picks and planning some murders fast! Hey, maybe now's the best time to try it, there are no other witnesses, right-"

"Ah!" Seto hissed, clutching his stomach and wobbling on his unsteady feet.

Steven anxiously rushed to his side to support him. He looked around wildly for a moment before moving him, kicking aside a bunch of shields, and sitting him down against the wall.

"I'm fine-" Seto whispered, shaking his head as Steven offered him a piece of paper. "R-Really, I'm fine- I'm not even fainting this time-"

"Poor widdle Seto~~~..." MonoWither mocked. "First he wost his widdle blankie and now he's gonna bwake his pwomise to Tywer and die all awone with no one to wove him~~~..."

Seto didn't react as he curled into a ball and rested his head against his knees, breathing heavily.

"Oh! We almost forgot! Because you're the ones who succeeded first, we left a special surprise for you somewhere here! We think you'll like it a lot!"

What you think we like versus what we really like are very different things... Seto wanted to say, but he didn't have the strength to.

"We'll leave you to it! Exit's in the elevator over there! See ya!" MonoWither disappeared.

Steven worriedly stared at Seto.

"Don't worry about me..." Seto mumbled. "Go see if there's somehow anything useful in here..."

Steven looked like he was about to object before changing his mind. He nodded and stood up before climbing up the stage, disappearing somewhere in the back.

Seto closed his eyes and tried to fight the oncoming drowsiness that was aided by his throbbing head and aching, empty stomach. No... He had to... keep going... He couldn't let Tyler down...

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but his sleep was interrupted by low growling noises that made his instincts flare into attention. Seto weakly opened his eyes and looked up to see a familiar white-shirted zombie staring at him.

"...Dave...?" Seto whispered, blinking slowly. "What are you doing here?"

Dave shuffled over to him.

"Does... Steven know you're here? He'll want to see you..."

Dave was now only a few feet away. He bared his rotting teeth and growled even louder at him, raising his decaying hands.

Seto's eyes widened. "D-Dave, what are you-"

Dave snarled as he lunged at Seto, who quickly grabbed a nearby shield and blocked the zombie. Dave waved his arms wildly as he tried to slash at him with his hands and bite his face from over the top of the shield. Adrenaline was the only thing allowing Seto to continue holding the shield and Dave up and away from him.

"Dave, stop!!!" Seto shrieked, cowering in fear and struggling to push against the weight. "Stop, it's me, it's Seto! Stop!!!"

But Dave didn't seem to hear him at all. Seto's strength started to fail fast as his elbows bent more and more with each second, allowing the zombie to get closer to grabbing and biting him. "Dave, please!!! Stop it!!! Stop!!!" He could only strain for so much longer...

Suddenly, there was a loud thunk as something struck his shield. Dave hissed as he collapsed against it, still waving his arms wildly towards Seto. A few stray specks of blood splattered against Seto's face. Before he had time to react, someone let out something akin to a chilling war cry as the zombie was pulled off Seto's shield.

Seto promptly dropped the shield and looked to see Steven kick Dave off of a spear that had impaled the zombie from behind, pinning him down with a firmly placed foot against his back. Steven screamed as he raised the spear and plunged it in Dave's skull, sending blood squirting everywhere. Dave let out one last hiss as he went limp, now completely dead.

Steven breathed heavily as he shakily let go of the spear and stepped off of Dave. Then he looked at Seto, his eyes wide with horror.

Seto stared back at him, totally stunned. "You- You you you-" He finally found his voice. "You killed him!!!"

Steven's expression became slightly confused.

"You killed Dave!" Seto shrieked. "I can't believe you just-" He suddenly looked down at the zombie on the floor. "...Oh... He wasn't actually Dave..."

Seto looked back at Steven and noticed that he was still shaking violently. He was clutching his arms and staring blankly into the distance with wide eyes, his face devoid of color. His clothes were stained with dark-red zombie blood, but there were also purple smears all over him.

Seto felt his stomach twist. "Was there also a fake Bart?" he whispered.

Steven's silence answered everything.

Seto had been right. MonoWither's "special surprise" couldn't have meant anything good.

"I'm so sorry... That was a really fucked up thing for MonoWither to do... But at least it wasn't actually them. Are you hurt?"

Steven shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"That's good... Well, um, if there's nothing useful in this room, then we should go. We need to clean that blood off of you, and most importantly, you need rest after everything that's happened here," Seto said, struggling to get up. Steven helped him stand, although Seto's legs were still unstable. "Shit... I don't think I can walk like this..." Seto mumbled.

Steven thought for a moment before putting Seto's arm over his neck and allowing Seto to sag exhaustedly against him.

"Thank you..." Seto said softly as the two of them started walking towards the exit.

~~~

When the elevator opened, the two found themselves standing behind everyone, who were all crowded in front of something. Seto and Steven stumbled out and the doors shut behind them. Seto glanced behind him to see what appeared to be a blank wall, but now he knew better. These digital screens were everywhere, it seemed.

"Oh my God!" Annie cried out, finally hearing them approach. The rest turned around and noticed the pair.

"Seto!" Tyler cried out.

"Steven!" Bonks cried out as well.

The two of them rushed to their side, quickly followed by everyone else.

"Why are you covered in blood?!" Bonks shrieked. "What happened?! Are you hurt?!"

Steven weakly shook his head.

"He isn't hurt... But we ran into some monsters..." Seto mumbled.

"Monsters? Where?" Jordan asked, confused.

Seto went silent for a moment before deciding that it was pointless trying to hide it. "The VIP Floor."

"What the hell were you doing there?!" Tyler shouted, horrified. "MonoWither said it was dangerous!"

"Well we made it out okay," Seto murmured. Tyler didn't look reassured at all.

"Did you find a way out of the motive?" Annie asked.

Seto grimaced. "Just weapons. A whole room full of them."

Jordan looked away bitterly. "I knew MonoWither wouldn't have anything good in there."

"But you're all right, right? You're okay?" Bonks asked desperately, trying to wipe the blood from Steven's clothes with her own hands as though they would reveal hidden wounds.

"Yes, we're okay."

"Good! Never do anything stupid and reckless like that ever again, you two! I thought I told you that, Seto!"

Seto looked around. "Um... Where are Jason and Bodil?"

"You couldn't have chosen a worse time to come back," Annie murmured darkly.

Seto looked behind the group and saw that they were on the platform overlooking the parkour course. Jason was standing close to the edge behind the fence, staring forward attentively through a pair of binoculars. And beside him... was an empty wheelchair...

Seto's face paled as he gasped. "No!" he cried out, pushing through the group towards Jason. "Bodil, where's Bodil-?!"

Seto looked in the direction Jason's binoculars were pointing at towards the parkour course.

No... It can't be...

He had to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him for a moment. Surely that couldn't be Bodil leaping from block to block towards the button?

"It's my fault. I should have paid more attention to him," Jason mumbled. "Last night, I insisted he sleep in my room, but he locked himself in the bathroom and slept in there. When I woke up, he was gone, so I went out to look for him. And then I went here and saw that he..." He trailed off.

"Bodil made a deal with MonoWither," Tyler finished for him. "If MonoWither let him use Potions of Strength, he would try the parkour course to get rid of the food motive only. It won't get us back our stuff, though."

"I didn't realize he had the guts to do it," Annie said wryly. "I thought he was too scared to do anything like this."

"Well... When you lose the one you love... You don't tend to care about your personal safety anymore..." Jordan said in a solemn voice.

"I'm so scared..." Bonks whispered shakily. "That pool's not going to save him if he falls..."

"But- But Bodil is the SDML Traceur!" Tyler pointed out in an attempt to sound optimistic. "I'm sure everything will be okay! Out of everyone, he has the most experience with parkour!"

"You're just saying that because you can't even see what he's doing," Jason muttered.

"Well is he doing badly?"

"...No..."

"Exactly! Hehe, I'm sure he'll make it!" Tyler forced a smile.

Jason sighed. "I hope you're right..."

Seto squinted, trying to see Bodil in the distance. He could see that the man was almost at the end of the course, despite everything. Even though he was recovering from two broken legs and an injured shoulder, Bodil was able to jump and push himself off of the blocks. True, he was using Potions of Strength, but Seto knew they were only preventing his bones from breaking again. The mobility Bodil possessed was all natural. He almost looked like he was flying at some points.

"He's really getting close..." Annie said hesitantly. "Jason, how's he doing?"

"I don't want to jinx it, but I think he's doing fine- OH MY GOD!"

Seto saw Bodil wave his arms wildly as he struggled to regain his footing.

"What happened?!" Bonks demanded.

"Fucking MonoWither..." Jason cursed. "They made the remaining blocks suddenly turn invisible!"

Steven covered his mouth with his hands.

"How's he going to get across, then?!" Tyler asked.

"Hopefully he remembers where the blocks were... That, or he'll turn back..." Jordan said.

Bodil stood there for a few moments before leaping towards a spot. Given by the fact that he didn't fall, he had landed correctly. Gaining confidence, Bodil continued to jump from block to block, propelling himself forward.

"I don't believe it..." Annie said softly.

Bodil made one final leap towards the platform, which was somewhat far away from his current block. Everyone held their breaths as they watched, praying desperately.

"Go Bodil!" Bonks whispered. "You can do it!"

Bodil rolled to absorb the impact of the drop and sat there for a few moments, probably to catch his breath. Then he rose to his feet and pressed the button.

"He did it!" Jason exclaimed excitedly.

"I told you he would!" Tyler said.

Jordan sighed loudly, relieved. "You're all going to be the death of me someday..."

"When he gets back, I'm making sure he never does anything that stupid ever again," Annie said.

Steven clapped his hands together, grinning.

Seto also felt his heart swell with relief, but then a cold feeling sank into his stomach. "How's he going to get back?"

"What an excellent question!" MonoWither exclaimed, appearing suddenly.

Jason glared at them. "Hey! You said that we'd get food if he pressed the button! Get him back here and feed us!"

MonoWither's smiles widened and their red eyes gleamed. "Of course, of course, it's just... Did you really think we'd give up the motive so easily?"

"Easily?! Bodil almost died!" Bonks shouted.

"A deal's a deal," Jordan said almost threateningly.

"Yeah, give us food! Seto's needs some, fast!" Tyler demanded.

"Don't worry, we'll uphold our end! It's just that we aren't fans of completely happy endings! Don't forget that this reality TV show is all about deaths!"

Annie clenched her hands into fists. "You'd better quit your bullshit or else!"

"Although we'll miss him dearly... it's time to say goodbye to another one of our friends..."

And then the platform Bodil was standing on collapsed.

There wasn't any of that "time slowed down" sensation for Seto. The moment he saw Bodil start to fall, Seto vaulted over the fence. He could hear everyone screaming behind him, hear Tyler cry out his name, but he knew what he had to do. Despite having never been able to do this before, despite having starved for three days, it was almost instinctual and second-nature.

The burning sensation in his chest quickly spread all over his body as a bright lilac aura swirled around him and he raised his purple, glowing wings. He flapped them once and nosedived towards Bodil, who was screaming in terror as he plummeted. While they were still dozens of meters in the air, Seto reached out and grabbed Bodil, spreading his wings to slow their descent.

"Seto!" Bodil cried out in shock, clinging onto him for dear life.

Seto flapped his wings again to turn around and started to glide them both back. He could make it, he could save Bodil, all he had to do was get as close to the shore as possible with what little strength he had left...

They were only a few yards away when they hit the water. Seto let go of Bodil, who kicked desperately up to the surface and coughed repeatedly. Seto tried to stay afloat as well, but his energy was spent. It wasn't like he'd known how to swim in the first place, and he had no magic left. What he really wanted to do was sleep for a very, very long time...

Seto relaxed as he sank below the surface. He could hear Bodil's muffled shouts from above, but suddenly there were countless tentacles wrapping around him. He didn't fight back as multiple squids pulled him down further into the pool's depths. From the light of the distant, glimmering surface, he could see two silhouettes swimming towards Bodil.

Seto felt like he was finally at peace. The water was pleasantly cool against his skin and everything was quiet and still. The only pain he felt was his aching chest as he held his breath and thought of his friends. But even still, some part of him didn't want to die, despite how much he tried to banish the thought from his mind.

Tyler... I'm sorry I broke my promise... I wish... I wish...

Seto took a gulp of water and everything went dark.