Song: The Lonely by Christina Perri
~~~~~~~
Lady Ianites been gone for awhile. I can still remember our last conversation before she left for the end. She had been so sad. She said I could come by at any time, but I had waited at least a week before even considering going there. She needed privacy and I understood that. Now I stood at the end portal ready to see her again. I'd missed her so much. It was lonely without her presence always around me.

I jumped in and waited several moments before being teleported to the dark end. My feet hit the endstone and I stumbled a moment before gaining my balance. Endermen brushed past me as I headed my way towards her house. I've always loved this dimension. It was always peaceful and quiet, two things that I valued a lot.

I was soon on the path to her house, which was only a mere mile away. I hope I wasn't interrupting her sleeping or something. She was probably really tired.

I pushed past tree after tree through the small forest beside her house. The owls watched me through the trees, their eyes watching me as if they knew something I didn't. Maybe I was being paranoid. The owls were completely harmless, besides the fact that they like to chow down on Ianites books. I smiled at the memory of her anger when she found that the owls had flew away with her books. I missed her so much. I couldn't wait to talk to her again. Martha had been asking nonstop about her and so had Dianite. I reassured them she was just resting and she'd be okay soon enough. I should have brought flowers or a gift. I bent down onto the forest floor and picked a bright purple flower. I twirled it around between my fingers. She would love it, she loved anything purple. Her house finally came into view.

I never could have been ready for what I saw that day. I will never be able to unsee that horrifying sight. It would forever be imprinted in my brain to torture me for the rest of my life.

She was here. But she was different. Her entire form was obsidian black. Her hair was gone, black horns replacing it. Stripes of purple and green were coating certain parts of her body. She stood in front of her house, towering over it. She was tall, probably even taller than Wags tower. She was beautiful.

"I-Ianite?" I called out to her.

She turned her head slightly to me, and I saw her smile.

"See you soon, my man."

And with those final words, she disintegrated. I watched in absolute horror as every fiber of her being dissolved into a grey ash. Where my lady had once stood tall and beautiful, a pile of grey powder replaced her.

And then silence. Like nothing even happened. No. She couldn't be gone. She was a goddess. She was immortal. No! I just got her back! She can't be gone! She was everything to me!

I ran to the ashes. She had to be here. She was still here. She had to be. Please no. Please don't let her be gone. I can't take it.

I fell onto my knees and into the pile of ash. My tears dripped from my cheeks and onto the dull ash. I scoped a handful of it in my hands, but it blew away just as I picked it up. My brain was still trying to comprehend it. She was here, now she wasn't.

My lady was gone.

"Ianite?" I called into the air, hoping she'd answer me.

Silence. What I once adored and cherished, calm silence, was now the worst sound I ever heard.

"Please...please come back. Don't leave me. Don't leave again." I whispered to the ash.

Nothing. Not a sound.

She was gone. Everything I loved, everything that I once loved, was gone.

And now...so was my sanity.
~
Day one.
"Sparkleeeeezzzz?" I asked the dark forest. I hadn't seen him in hours and I was kinda worried about him. He doesn't just disappear, he'd always tell me where he was going before he went off somewhere. This time he didn't.
I remembered the coordinates to Ianites house, and that's probably where he was. He'd been telling me for awhile that he needed to give her a visit. I didn't really like her. She was always clingy towards Sparklez and it made me pissed.

I heard him before I even saw him.

Screaming. Deranged and demonic screaming. I knew his screams, but I'd never heard them in this way.
I ran as fast I could towards the house. They were coming from the coordinates of her house. What had she done to him now?

I pushed away branches and leaves until I finally came into the clearing.

He was here. And he had lost his damn mind.
~
Day three.
Wag had to help me tie him down to the bed. Restraints seemed to be the only thing that could keep him still long enough so that we could help him. Dec said he'd gone insane. I believed him.

He couldn't even hear me when I had found him. He was screaming and destroying everything in sight.

Ianite was dead. A few things had led me to that conclusion. Dec said the balance was slightly off for some reason. The pile of ash beside Ianites house. And finally, Sparklez screaming at the top of his lungs every minute of every day that she was gone. He'd lost another friend he loved. I don't think he was able to handle it. I didn't know what to do. He wouldn't even let me go near him, or anyone for that matter. Dec originally had tried to give him a pill, but that didn't work out. He would puke up anything we gave him, including food. So he'd gone to shots. Sparklez always hated shots and apparently so did his insane self. I couldn't help him and that absolutely killed me. I should've been there with him when she left. I could have stopped him from going nuts. I was too late.

Now I sat in a chair faraway from his bed, watching him scream and bite at his restraints like a mad man. Martha had come in earlier and told me she needed someone else to go through with the plans. I was furious. Her mother was dead and Sparklez was dying and she didn't even care. All she cared about was Mianite and how she was gonna take him down with her stupid new goddess powers.

Sonja and Tucker had visited yesterday. Sonja had to leave immediately at the sight of him, her tears were too much to handle I guess. Tucker left soon after. I'd never seen the dude cry before, but yesterday he had. Mostly everyone was scared for him.

I just felt numb. I didn't feel any emotions. I wasn't sure how I should feel about what happened. Dec said he didn't know what to do either except leave him tied to the bed and keep giving him sleeping drugs. He was going to die here if we didn't find out a way to make him sane again.
~
Day four.
Sonja came in this morning when Sparklez was sleeping to talk to me. She said that maybe she could help him with her thaumcraft stuff. She could make him coherent, but he'd still be really crazy. He would stop screaming and stop trying to destroy things but he'd still be slightly insane. I told her anything that made him better I'd allow her to do. Tomorrow she's going to try it. I hope he comes back to me. I miss him being happy.
~
Day five.
She did it. She helped him. He stopped screaming and biting and crying. Now he's just laying there.
I've tried everything to get him to talk to me. He won't. He stares at me with a blank expression. At least he isn't trying to kill me. At least he can stand me being a foot away from him. Dec says he won't need any more sleeping drugs if he continues to be like this. I haven't stopped thanking Sonja. Maybe he won't die in here. Maybe there's still a chance.
~
Day Seven.
Dec took the restraints off of him. I was worried at first. What if he snapped again and he attacked one of us? But I guess I should trust Sonja's methods. She said he wouldn't snap again as long as she kept giving him treatments.
When they cut the ropes off, he didn't even move a muscle. He laid there.

It was the worst possible thing that could've happened.
~
Day ten.
He said something today. He said my name. I practically started bawling like a bitch when he did. Five days of blank staring and numbness really took an impact on me. I thought he'd never say anything ever again. It was really out of the blue when he said it. Dec had said he'd watch Sparklez if I wanted to go home and shower, and I told him that'd be okay. I had sorta given up on him talking to me anyway. When I got up to leave, he said my name. I haven't left his side since. It was only a small mutter of my name, but I knew what he wanted in saying it. He didn't want me to leave.

I refuse to leave his side. He needs me.
~
Day twelve.
He laughed for a fraction of a second today. Tucker had come in to see him, this time acting way more like a selfish salt shaker. I'd rather him act salty than cry. We were talking while Sparklez was eating his breakfast. I was already in an argument with him.

"I don't care what you say, gravy causes stomach flu. I can't even believe you are feeding your ill husband gravy. You're sick."

"Gravy doesn't create the flu you salt shaker! And he loves gravy. I'm not depriving him of it just because you say so."

"Shame shame shame. Poor Sparklez is being forced to eat gravy. You sick bastard." Tucker shook his head.

A small laugh was heard, making both Tucker and I turn to Sparklez. He was smiling slightly. But then the smile disappeared and he went back to eating his breakfast without a single glance toward our directions. Even though it didn't last long, it was still one of the happiest moments of my life.

Tucker stared at me with wide eyes. "Did he just-"

"He laughed. He freaking laughed. Oh my gods." I whispered.

Sparklez had laughed. He was getting better.
~
Day twenty.
It's been over a week since he laughed. Today something amazing happened. He had a conversation with me. But it wasn't just a yes or a no to a question. He actually responded to something I had said, and it hadn't been a question.

"I wish you'd say something again. I miss you so much. You know that right?" I squeezed his hand. He's been letting me hold his hand, but that's all he's been letting me touch. I tried to kiss him the other day but he jerked away from me and started freaking out. It hurt. I should've known he wouldn't have let me. I just wanted to try.

He stared emotionlessly at the wall. After trying to kiss him, he wouldn't look at me anymore. That hurt me a lot.
I sighed in defeat. This was all my fault. Everything. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. It's my fault you're like this. I'm a shit husband..."

"No you're not. I love you." I heard him whisper.

For a minute I just sat there in absolute amazement. He was still staring at the wall.

"I love you too." I kissed his hand. He looked at me then. It was a look of guilt. I didn't understand. Why was he guilty? He hadn't done anything.

"I'm sorry I'm insane."

He knows he's insane. He must have overhead one of us saying it. We never said that word around him. All we said was sick or ill. I told everyone I'd murder them if they even mentioned the word in front of him.

"It's okay. It'll be okay. It always turns out that way. You're gonna be okay." I rubbed circles into his palm. He looked away from me and closed his eyes.

It was only a minute or two of conversation, but it was such a break through for him.
~
Day twenty-two.
Dec said he was able to go home with me. I was nervous. Sure he'd been talking to me occasionally, but he was still really out of it. Wag offered to hang around his towers along with guard Tom so they could help keep an eye on him with me.

I took him home. I laid him down in his own bed and covered him up with his favorite blanket. He slept well for a little while. I slept on the floor. I didn't want him to have any more discomfort. He cried that night, screaming fits occurred often. I couldn't do anything though. I just had to let him suffer through it because I knew he wouldn't let me help him.

I didn't sleep.
~
Day twenty-three.
He tried something I'd never thought he would even think of doing.

He tried to kill himself.

I woke up and he wasn't in his bed. I searched every room of his towers and he wasn't in a single one.
I heard yelling from on top of the roof and I flew up to see what was happening.

Wag was holding him back by his shirt. He was trying to jump off of his roof. But he wasn't acting like he usually did. He was screaming and crying and thrashing around, his eyes wide with insanity. We managed to get him off the roof safely.

I cried until I couldn't breathe. I could have lost him if Wag hadn't been here. We had to restrain him again.

Back to square one.
~
Day twenty-four.
I refused to even look at him. I was so disappointed. He tried to speak to me as I sat on the floor of his room sobbing.

"Tom. I'm sorry." He said with his voice full of guilt.

"If you even cared about me, you wouldn't have done that. All you are is selfish. Selfish. Do you even think about what I feel when you don't talk? When you stare at the freaking wall twenty four hours a day, do you know how much that affects me? Did you even think of what would happen to me if you jumped off? To everyone? No. You didn't. Because you're selfish."

He didn't say a word after that. I didn't care. He was selfish. He had always been selfish.
~
Day twenty-five.
Martha showed up at the towers today. She apologized about what she said a few weeks ago. I forgave her.
I told her want happened with Sparklez. She said she'd talk to him. I let her.
I sat in the corner as she approached his bedside. He was still tied down.

"Jordan, you know she is unpleased with your actions."

He didn't respond. He only stared at the ceiling.

"She was weak and she couldn't stay any longer. The unbalance was killing her. You must understand that."

Nothing.

"She passed on her powers to you. Did you know that? They just haven't worked yet because of your state of mind. If you snap out of this insanity you can still go through with our plans. I know how excited you were to achieve them."

"I can't just stop it. It won't stop." He whispered.

"Yes you can. It is your mind. If you just realize that your ways of thinking are wrong, then you can-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I CANT STOP IT! DONT YOU REALIZE THAT?! I DIDNT WANT TO DIE! I DIDNT WANT TO JUMP! Why won't you understand?! Why won't anyone understand?! I CANT CONTROL IT!" He screamed at her face and tugged at his restraints. She flinched and backed away, scared of his sudden change in moods.

Sparklez had no control over his mind anymore. I shouldn't have called him selfish. He didn't want to jump. His mind made him.
~
Day thirty.
Sonja's been trying a new type of magic and she's been testing it on Sparklez. It's been working more than any medicine he's had so far. I feel like he's really close to being okay again. I cut off his restraints yesterday. I wasn't supposed to yet, but I did anyway. The rope was cutting into his wrists and it was hurting him. He sighed in relief when I did. He hated those things. Dec said if he snapped again they'd have to start giving him a drug that completely tuned him out of his head. I didn't want that. I'd seen those types of drugs being used before. They basically turned you into a zombie.

If Dec said he had to start taking them, then I'd let Sparklez kill himself. I wasn't going to let them turn him into an emotionless zombie. He wouldn't want that.

Please Ianite. Please help him.
~
Day thirty-two.
He got out of bed today. He didn't try to jump. He didn't try to kill any of us.

He kissed me. He kissed me right on the lips.

I don't know what happened. He just got up from his sleep and kissed me. I had been asleep but just the feel of him woke me up.

He's different. His eyes are a different color. They're not brown but they kind of are. Its hard to explain it. His hair has streaks in it, light streaks of purple. His skin is brighter. It's almost like he's glowing. A strong aura surrounds him now. What Martha said had been true. Ianite had passed her powers on to him.

He's okay. Thank you Ianite.
~
"So...how are you feeling Jordan?" Wag asked, keeping his distance from my bed. The entirety of my friends stood in my room. I guess the word had gotten out that I wasn't completely insane anymore.

I smiled with confidence. "Much better. I missed you guys."

I heard several sighs of relief.

"Loving your new hairstyle dude. Matches Toms...sorta." Tucker told me.

"Thank you. I like it too."

I loved my new hair. I loved my new self. I felt so powerful now, like I could face anything and live.

"He's so happy, it's weird..." I heard Tony whisper. Josh elbowed him in the side.

"Were glad you're happy again Sparklez. We were getting a little worried for awhile there." Sonja smiled at me.

"If you need anything man we're right here." Josh assured me.

"Thanks you guys."

Everyone started to file out of the room except for one guy. My guy. Tom closed the door as the last of our friends stepped out. He turned to me with an apologetic look. "Sorry, didn't know that many people would show up in your room."

"It's fine. I missed seeing everyone anyway."

He gave me a large grin. "You're so happy. I love it."

I smiled, but inside I felt guilty. He didn't know how I got this happy. He didn't know how I cured my insanity.
~
Sonja's p.o.v

I had to give it to him. I couldn't just sit there and watch him suffer. I knew it risked so much and it could back fire so easily, but it could help him. Martha told Wag about Ianite giving her powers to Sparklez when she left, and Wag had told me. The secrets would kill me if I read them, but since Sparklez had powers he would live.

I just had to convince him.

So I snuck in his towers in the middle of the night. Tom would never approve what I was about to do, so I had to sneak by him. I crept up the stairs and slowly opened his bedroom door. Tom was asleep on the floor. He was far away from the bed so I could easily walk over to Sparklez bed. I tiptoed past Tom and stepped next to Sparklez bed side. I prayed to the gods that he wouldn't make a sound when I woke him up. I poked him in the chest. "Sparklez, wake up."

His eyes opened a bit and he didn't make a sound. He gave me a confused look.

"I have something that could get rid of your...problem. But it has some risks. Are you up for it?" I whispered.

He glanced over to Tom.

"He won't know. Just come with me. We'll go someplace where no one can find us."

He tugged on the ropes that held him down to the bed. I sighed. I can't believe they tied him down again. I understood he was insane, but restraints?

"I'll take them off, but you have to promise you won't do anything stupid. Promise?"

He nodded. I sat the book down on the bed and began to untie the ropes. I untied the last one and he raised up from his spot on the bed. We snuck out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind us. "Remember, no crazy stuff. Okay?"

He nodded again.

We went to my house. It was really the only place where we could get some privacy. My house was pretty far away from everyone else's and the walk there was killer. I didn't want to fly though. Someone might see us.
When we arrived there, I lead him down to my basement. I couldn't be too sure that anyone was watching us.

"Alright, so now that I know we're completely alone I'll tell you about it. I have this book I found a few months ago. It was buried under a bunch of bedrock and I had to dig for seven hours to get it. It's forbidden. It has every forbidden secret known to man inside of it. I can't read it. I would die immediately. I only read the first page and the guardians are already trying to kill me..."

His eyes widened in fear. Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have started with that.

"No no, don't get scared. The guardians aren't even strong. Plus, you're practically immune to this stuff. You have Ianites power, don't you?"

"That's what everyone keeps telling me..." He whispered.

"Well she used to do this stuff too. She's the one who warned me about it and she's the one who helped me with it."

"How can it help me?" He stared at the book in my hands.

"Some of the spells in here can cure insanity. I'm just not sure which one. And I can't read it or I'll probably die. But you can read it. You're almost invincible."

"Sonja, I don't have her powers yet. Martha said my state of mind wasn't allowing me to have them. Whatever that means..." He rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter if you have them yet or not. If you can cure your insanity before you die to the after affects, you can gain your powers and they'll keep you alive. I think it can work. What do you think?"

"...if it all happens according to your plan, is there gonna be consequences?"

"Er...just some side affects. Nothing to worry too much about."

"Side affects? What are they?"

"Well...you'll get flux flu a lot, blurred vision, nausea, headaches, and you might get diareah a bunch. Plus the guardians occasionally showing up to try and kill you, but they suck at doing their jobs so you really have nothing to worry about."

He stared at the book for awhile. He sighed after a few minutes. "I'll do it."

I handed him the leather book and he took it from me. "If this kills me, tell Tom I'm sorry I couldn't do it."
I nodded. He opened the book and looked to the first page. The whispers started almost immediately. He looked up startled from the book.

"Don't pay attention to them, it'll only make them louder. Just focus on the book and try to find the spell."

He continued to flip through pages, but I could see he was already starting to get weary.
"Why is my stomach hurting?" He asked, his eyes starting to glaze over. That wasn't good.

"It's an affect, just keep looking." If he didn't find it soon he was a goner.

More pages. The whispers were getting louder. If he dies, I'll never forgive myself.

He groaned in pain but he kept reading through. He finally stopped at a page. "I found it. Now what?" He said through gritted teeth.

"Say it out loud. Hurry." I could tell he was struggling to breathe.

"Unta insantiam, vi mor rest." The whispers stopped.

He fell to the floor. I saw his eyes roll into the back of his head. Oh my god. I've killed him.

But then I saw something. I saw a light. It was small purple light in the dark. It hovered in the air for while and then...it went into Sparklez. I knew immediately what the light was. Ianites power. He seemed to glow in the dark as the light filled him. His eyes opened slowly. "Sonja..." He groaned, gripping his stomach. He had his eyes clenched together from pain.

"Oh god, Jordan are you okay?" I ran over to him and kneeled by his side.

His eyes opened. It was a dead giveaway. He had violet eyes. He looked up at me for a moment, still dazed, before he slapped a hand over his mouth and jumped up from his spot. He made it to the corner of the room, and then he puked up the weirdest looking liquid I'd ever seen. It was a neon purple and it glowed like lava. It covered every inch of the corner as he puked up gallons. It was one of the many side affects that would constantly be torturing him, like they always did me. What I didn't tell him was that he'd be cursed with mind spiders, constant whispering in his head, a consuming and painful hunger, and he'd have flux flu almost every day. A normal person would die to that stuff, but I believed he could live. His powers would keep him alive.

Ianite would keep him alive.
~~~~~
It's too early for me, but I'm going to the flea market so I gotta get up xD Leave a comment or a favorite if you enjoyed! Thanks!

- Lee