Withdrawing his blades, Sean snapped back at Archie. "If you've killed him. You will regret it." Archie's lips curled into a devilish grin, causing fresh blood to leak from his mouth, Mark's blood, as he shot back. "I don't regret the taste of him. He was wasted on the likes of you." Slamming the handles of his blades together, Sean clicked them into his bow and retorted darkly. "That's it, Fucker!" Bringing his bow up, Sean pulled the string back and quickly released a glinting golden arrow. Archie rolled across the floor in a blur, dashing low around the furniture. The arrow struck the wall, bursting into shards of light, but Sean was already pulling the string back to aim at where Archie was going. Archie leapt off the floor to avoid the next arrow, jumping to the wall before lunging off toward Sean. Barely dodging him, Sean whirled around to aim the next arrow at him. Archie flinched as the arrow whizzed inches over his shoulder. Sean cursed, trying to pull the string back, but Archie dashed straight for him.

Archie slammed into him, tackling him down onto the coffee table. The table broke beneath them, knocking the wind from Sean's lungs. Archie slashed his claws at Sean's throat, but Sean raised his bow to block it in time. His bow was sent flying from the power behind Archie's hit, forcing Sean to think quickly. Grabbing a table leg, Sean hit Archie upside the head. In the brief moment that Archie was stunned, Sean sat up enough to give his wings room to move. Then grabbing Archie's throat, Sean yelled as his wings launched him off the ground. Slamming Archie up against the ceiling, he used Archie's weight to roll and threw him toward the windows. Archie hit the curtains, the glass behind them shattering from the impact. Falling to all fours, Archie rubbed his neck and hissed up at him. Unable to control himself, Sean arched his back and let out an aggressive hiss of his own that made his wings vibrate violently. Staggering to his feet, Archie flashed his fangs up at him, yelling out. "Alright, Fairy-boy! Let's do this!"

From Archie's back a set of thick bat wings ripped through his shirt and splattered the curtains behind him in blood. Leaping into the air, he came at Sean with his claws and teeth bared. Sean hissed again, then turned over in the air. The second Archie flew over him, Sean kicked his legs up to slam Archie into the ceiling again. This time though, Archie grabbed his leg and lashed Sean into a wall. Sean watched his health bar take a hit and tried to break free of him as reality set in. However, Archie had too good of a grip on him. Flying away from the wall, Archie swung him back into the wall with more force. Sean yelped as his health fell to half. Keeping him pinned against the wall with a hand that darted out to his throat, Archie moved in to hiss menacingly. "With your blood. I will be able to walk in the daylight. I'll surpass my father! And it will be ME that takes Mira from this place!" Growing frustrated, Sean gripped Archie's wrist at his throat and adjusted his free leg to kick him as he yelled out. "YOU CAN HAVE HER!"

Archie spit blood, releasing Sean as he was knocked back. Bracing his feet and hands on the wall in his best spider-man pose, Sean watched for his stamina to recover, before launching off the wall and directly at Archie. Slamming into him, Sean smashed him against the floor to stun him. Then placing his hands on him, he tried to use the Light of Alfheim on him, but nothing happened. How had he done it before? Archie flinched like he knew what was coming, but when nothing happened, he chuckled out smugly. "Can't get it up? Shame. I can." Archie swatted Sean's hands away from him, jerking upright to sink his teeth into Sean's neck. Sean let out an ear-piercing scream. He could feel every inch of the thick fangs as they sank into his skin. Grabbing Archie's shoulders in a death grip, he tried to push him away as he watched his health bar begin to steadily drain away. Archie's arms wrapped tightly around him, pinning him against him as he tried to drain him faster.

Just as his health was dipping into the yellow, Sean pressed his hands to the sides of Archie's head and screamed out. "YOU WANT IT?! TAKE IT!" From the core of his avatar, he felt the power surge and explode out from his palms and wings. Filling the room with blinding light. Archie began to shake, jerking his head back to reveal that Sean's blood had turned to liquid silver! Archie screamed as his fangs disintegrated. Rising slowly to his feet as Archie's grip loosened, Sean didn't release Archie from his cupping hands. Archie thrashed, his body burning from both the inside and outside. Anger flooded Sean and he refused to stop until Archie was nothing but a pile of ash upon the floor. With little more than ash coating his hands, Sean lowered his hands and the light coming off him dimmed. His anger faded, but he took a minute to look at his hands. When had his nails grew out to sharp points? The nails slowly shrank and curled his fingers feeling a little scared of his own avatar.

The game was doing something to him. To everyone playing the game. His hands started to shake as he swallowed down his concerns. He couldn't think about that now. Jerking his head up to look at Mark, he rushed over to his side. Putting a hand on Mark's shoulder, he tried to shake him awake as he called his name. Mark didn't wake. Above Mark, his health bar was down to a sliver. Even something as a slap would kill him. Brushing Mark's bangs away from his eyes, he pleaded with him to wake up. When his fingers found the two holes on his neck, Sean's heart fell. Feeling like it was his fault, Sean lowered his head to Mark's forehead. Mark felt so cold. Tears filled Sean's eyes, when he whispered to him in a broken voice. "Mark... I'm sorry." Tilting his head, he pressed his lips to Mark's lips as tears streamed down his cheeks. When he opened his eyes to pull away. He gasped at the bright starlight that shimmered under Mark's skin. Sean staggered to his knees as his stamina and magic drained to nothing.

What health he had left began to glow and drain into the red. When he reached a sliver of health, Sean clutched his heart. Mark's health began to glow and increase into the yellow and his stamina bar filled completely from its empty state. Gasping, Sean mumbled out. "The light of Alfheim..." Laying down, Sean tried to steady his breathing as he waited for other his bars to fill back up in order to fill his health bar. Eventually, his health bar grew into a healthy green and he sat up carefully. Although, when he sat up, he saw that Mark's health hadn't improved in all that time. Getting up to his feet, he reached out and shook Mark a little as he asked aloud. "Mark? Are you with me?" Mark's hand grabbed his wrist to stop him from shaking him as he grumbled out into the pillow. "Stop shaking me. What's gotten into you?" Sean sighed in relief, telling him a bit shaken up. "Archie bit you. I thought he'd..." Mark groaned as he sat up, his fingers touching his neck, before he glanced around and muttered out. "Oh, ya... Where'd he go?"

Sniffling, Sean went to cup Mark's face, upon telling him. "I killed him. I thought he had killed you." Mark snatched Sean's wrists before his hands touched him, his cold expression draining all the relief from Sean's body. Moving away from Sean, Mark told him defensively. "Don't act like this changes anything. I'm still pissed at you." Sean sat back down on his heels on the floor, mumbling out in a broken voice. "Mark, please believe me. She forced herself on me. I... I love you." Mark turned away from him, answering in a low broken voice of his own. "I wish I could believe you. But I just don't..." Shrugging helplessly, Sean asked him desperately. "What can I do to make you believe me?" Mark slid off the bed, moving away as he retorted. "Nothing. It's not something that I want you to prove. It's something I want to feel and know deep down." Waving a dismissive hand at him, Mark added flatly. "But you can't do that. Because our love is just a game to you. It means nothing when it counts."

Mark sniffled, wiping his eyes with his back to Sean before straining out. "You have no idea how badly you can hurt me. Yet, you use it like a kid with a gun. I don't want to feel like this..." Mark kicked the bits of coffee table, causing Sean to flinch at his sudden aggression. Grabbing the bedpost, Sean slowly pulled himself up to his feet and told Mark openly. "Mark, please don't up on me just yet. I beg you." Mark finally turned to face him, bitterly asking. "Why? The longer I hold on. The longer I burn to death." Cupping the bedpost meekly, Sean told him in a clear sincere voice. "I'm a mess. I know it. I'm trying. I hurt you... and I'm so sorry. If I could go back. I'd fix how we got here... I'm better with you. I'm happy. I don't want to ruin this chance. I swear on my life, Mark. I love you." Wiping a few tears away, Sean hiccupped out as he shifted on his weakening legs. "I am relying on you heavily in this game. Like I always do... because... I can't rely on anyone... like I can rely on you. You never leave me behind... even though you should."

Raising an eyebrow, Mark asked bluntly. "What are you talking about?" Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Sean shrugged out. "Mark... I don't deserve you. You've always known what you wanted. Nothing stops you from being who you are. You attract people as easily as breathing. While me... I'm... I'm still the scared boy from Ireland stumbling in your shadow and pretending that I belong next to you." The tears blurred Sean's vision as he broke and told him in a rush of emotion. "I panicked. I was afraid! The fans saw what I couldn't say to you. When they pushed... I buckled. I let her tear me away from you because I couldn't let my feelings for you brag you down. Septiplier was always going to be the death of me... but not you. I wouldn't let it... You mean too much to me." Covering his face in his hands, Sean muffled out as his body shook uncontrollably. "I was overwhelmed. I couldn't handle the pressure from fans... from my parents... from her. Mark, I'm sorry... I need you to save like you did back then. Cause I can't... I can't do this on my own... I'm not... strong enough. But I know I'm... I'm not worth your-"

Before Sean could finish, Mark was there. His strong warm hands moving his away from his face in order to stop him with a kiss. Sean weakly tried to push him away, but Mark carefully pushed up back against the wall and deepened the kiss. When Mark pulled back from the kiss and pressed his forehead to his, he purred out in a deep heartwarming voice. "I choose who is worthy of me. And Jack...?" Sean's heart slammed against his ribs at the mention of his nickname. Only to melt as Mark's lips moved to his ear to whisper in a honey-glazed deep voice. "You are worth everything to me. You were only in my shadow, because I wasn't willing to share you with anyone else." Mark's lips kissed a sweet spot just under his ear, causing Sean to gasp and wrap his arms around him. Hugging him tightly, Sean buried his face against Mark's neck and let himself tremble. Until Mark's body heat warmed him enough that he felt safe and warm against him.

Sean loved how Mark's hands moved along his back and seemed to protect him from the world. So, while holding him, Sean moved his own lips to Mark's ear and whispered to him without fear. "Mark... Win this game for me. Take me home and I'll be yours. If you want me." Easing back, Mark chuckled out softly. "Are you asking me to marry you?" Sean bit his lip, blushing as he looked away. He felt a bit silly for letting it slip out like that. Against his ear though, Mark purred to him in his charming way. "Because if you are. Then I'll win this game for you... So, that I can tell you..." When Mark didn't finish, Sean turned back to him with fragile puppy eyes that made Mark smile so divinely. Running his fingers along Sean's tear-stained cheek, Mark finished over Sean's lips before he could ask. "So that I can propose to you. For real this time." Smiling, Sean let one final tear fall as he kissed Mark with all the passion he possessed. To Be Continued...