Tyler could barely keep his hands steady as he carefully climbed down the slippery ladder. He couldn't believe it; he was actually escaping the prison. But he couldn't relish his victory just yet. Tyler reached the bottom of the ladder and felt the cool dirt underneath his feet. His knees trembled as he took his first few steps of freedom before breaking into a run.

He blindly made his way through the forest, the pouring rain limiting his vision and slowing him down. Lightning split the sky, making him whimper in terror, but not once did he stop moving. He tripped over a slippery tree root and immediately pulled himself up as he continued to run away from what he considered the closest thing to the Nether in the Overworld. He had no idea where he was going, but to him anywhere was better than there.

He would rather die than go back to the Factory again.

Occasionally he caught glimpses of hostile mobs, but he was moving so fast they didn't even bother to give chase. But as he continued to run, Tyler realized that it would only be a matter of time before he ran out of energy. Only adrenaline and fear was keeping Tyler going, for he was unaccustomed to running this much. He noticed that it was taking him a little longer to pick himself off the ground whenever he tripped and that each breath he took was more strained than before. His heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of his ribcage.

Tyler managed to take one more step before he saw a blinding flash of light out of the corner of his eye. The dog-hybrid's hair stood on end as he was sent sprawling on the damp ground just a few feet away from the lightning bolt that had struck the ground nearby. Tyler opened his eyes and dazedly wondered why the trees were spinning around him. There was a terrible ringing in his left ear and he felt something warm and wet running down the right side of his neck from his other ear, which heard absolutely nothing.

He coughed weakly as he tried to stand up again. Tyler looked up to see three... six? No, three charged creepers walking towards him, swooping in for the kill. But Tyler was too exhausted to move. This isn't such a bad place to die. he thought. He rested his cheek against the cool mud and sighed with content, closing his eyes. At least he was going to leave this earth as a free person, not someone trapped in prison.

And then the serene feeling was destroyed when someone grabbed him and took to the sky. The initial shock was quickly replaced by fear when Tyler looked up to see Warden Ryan's ice-blue eyes glaring back at him. Tyler shrieked as he struggled violently against the bat-hybrid, who only tightened his grip as he flew high above the trees. "LET ME GO!" he screamed desperately. "I don't want to go back, please don't take me back!" Tyler burst into sobs as he finally stopped struggling, accepting his fate. There was no escaping the Factory, the place where fears and horrors come true.

---

By now, Seto was a truly terrifying sight to behold. His jailsuit was stained red with his own blood and there was a jagged tear in the front where he had been stabbed. His arms were slightly extended to his sides and if one looked closely they could see tiny sparks shooting out from his fingertips. Eight water whips trailed behind him, following him like gleaming shadows. His purple aura was ablaze with magical light and there was a positively murderous look in his glowing eyes as he took slow, staggering steps down the hallway, guided by a strange instinct.

Seto paused by an iron door which was labeled, 'Experiment Room'. He was about to use his hand to push down the lever, but sensed that something was amiss. The sorcerer lifted one of the water whips and wrapped it around the lever. Sure enough, the lever began to spark with electricity. It was booby-trapped, but Seto was unfazed by this obstacle. He casually lifted his hand and the door exploded.

His narrowed eyes widened when he saw the bacca on the table. His brown fur was stained black with burn marks and he lay deathly still. The sorcerer's mindless anger quickly faded and was replaced with only worry and concern as he ran up to Jerome and shook his shoulder. "Jerome?" Seto asked. Jerome's head merely lolled to the side. "Jerome, please wake up..." Seto said as he started to panic, shaking the bacca's shoulder harder with desperation. "Jerome? JEROME!"

Jerome suddenly jerked up and he let out a scream of terror before seeing the sorcerer. "S-Seto?" Jerome stuttered in disbelief. "Is that really you?" Seto nodded, relieved, as he destroyed the cuffs holding Jerome down. He caught the bacca as he began to slide off the table. Jerome clutched him like a lifeline as he cried hysterically into Seto's shoulder. "It's you... It's really you..." Words spilled out of his mouth as he sobbed and took shaky breaths. "He kept on torturing me over and over again and then I saw her stab you and he suddenly left the room and didn't come back and I was just so, so scared..."

The sorcerer wrapped his arms around the bacca tightly as though he might disappear at any given moment. His tears left shiny wet tracks on his face. "I heard you screaming and I- I thought you were dead!" Seto said with anguish. "I thought he killed you!" The two friends cried together as they sat there in each other's arms, temporarily forgetting the dire situation they were in. But it was a terrible mistake for them to let their guard down...

Jerome suddenly gasped loudly. Seto looked up to see a horrified expression on his face. "Jerome, what-"

"NO!" Jerome screamed as he suddenly shoved Seto away from him. Seto hit the side wall and groaned as he shook his head to clear it. He saw Dr. McNulty standing in the doorway with a look of pure insanity on his face as he lowered the bow in his hands. Bone-shaking coughs diverted Seto's attention to Jerome, who was lying on the floor and whimpering in agony.

"Oh... Oh Notch..." Seto whispered in shock as he put the pieces together. Had Jerome not reacted, the doctor's arrow would have impaled Seto's skull. He crawled over to the trembling bacca, whose eyes were tightly screwed shut as he clutched the arrow embedded in his right shoulder. Seto gently pried Jerome's paw from the arrow and did his best to keep his voice steady as he murmured soothing words to him.

"S-Seto..." Jerome stuttered, his black eyes clouded with pain as he took quick, shuddering breaths. "H-Hurts..."

"You're going to be okay, Jerome. You're going to be okay..." Seto said, on the verge of tears again as he felt the bacca's warm blood trickle over his fingers. Jerome looked up at Seto gratefully and gave his hand a final squeeze before he closed his eyes and his body fell limp. Seto bowed his head and silently wept over his unconscious friend. He then wiped his eyes and slowly stood to face Dr. McNulty, who had discarded the bow in favor of using his magic. "You. Are. Dead." he said, punctuating each word for emphasis.

The doctor smiled, revealing shiny rows of pearly-white teeth. "Oh, I doubt that."

Seto made a low growling sound in the back of his throat. "You hurt Jerome." Seto said, breathing heavily as he glared at Dr. McNulty. His seething anger was quickly returning. "And when you hurt Jerome, you hurt me." He let out a short, mirthless laugh. "Trust me when I say this: you don't want to hurt me. Why? Because I always hurt back. Always."

"We'll see about that..." Dr. McNulty said, chuckling insanely. Seto ducked as the blue ball of energy sailed above his head to hit the wall behind him. He launched a spell in return and Dr. McNulty dodged it by running down the hallway.

Seto staggered after him, once again reverting to his mindless state of fury. "COME BACK HERE, YOU COWARD!" he shouted, summoning his magic as he hurled another ball of energy at the doctor. Dr. McNulty waved his hand in front of him in a circle and the spell bounced back as it collided with an invisible wall. Seto caught the ball and absorbed it with his hand as he chased the doctor into a giant room that appeared to be a parkour course.

Most sorcerers were categorized as different types of Elementals. For example, Seto was a Water Elemental, which meant that his powers increased substantially in the presence of water. He could also control water and manipulate it to his will.

On the other hand, Dr. McNulty's shield had shown that he was an Air Elemental. It was one of the lesser common types of sorcerers, but Seto had encountered a few before at school, so they weren't all that rare. Because air is abundant, Air Elementals were extremely powerful, but as a result they could become overconfident in their abilities. Dr. McNulty already displayed this trait in spades. Now if only Seto could use this to his advantage...

Dr. McNulty threw a spell at Seto, who used one of his water whips to send it back. Unfazed, the doctor smiled as he lifted his hands, which began to glow blue. Seto watched as he slowly levitated off the floor and landed on one of the platforms. He was trying to gain the advantage of having the higher ground. In response, Seto extended his arms and felt the water in the pipes underneath him gather together. The ground vibrated before Seto shot up like a rocket, standing on top of a fountain of water as he rose to the same altitude as his opponent. Now they were even. The two sorcerers glared at each other with burning hatred as the battle commenced.

---

Tyler felt himself being tossed roughly to the ground, the impact leaving him slightly winded. He coughed weakly and opened his eyes to see that he was in a torchlit cave. Ryan was standing at the entrance and covering it with cobblestone blocks to keep mobs out. When he was finished, he turned around to face Tyler, whose eyes darted back and forth as he backed up against the wall.

The bat-hybrid flew over to him and pulled out a sharp knife. Tyler shut his eyes tightly and held his hands out as though to cover himself, trembling violently. Ryan grabbed him roughly by the scruff of his collar and dragged him away from the wall.

Ryan let go of Tyler and sat on his chest, pinning his shoulders down with his knees. The bat-hybrid could feel Tyler's heart racing in his ribcage as he writhed desperately underneath him. Ryan ignored Tyler's frantic pleas as he clutched his right arm and held it down on the ground. He lightly pressed the blade right below Tyler's elbow before lifting the knife in a stabbing position. Tyler saw what he was about to do and completely panicked.

"No! No, don't hurt me," Tyler begged, his breath catching in his throat as he started to cry again, "please, please don't hurt me- AH!" He shrieked in pain as the blade dug into his flesh. He let out choked sobs as the knife sliced down his arm. Warm blood gushed from the wound and Tyler cried out with pure agony. "STOP! STOP IT!" Tyler shouted as he weakly tried to push Ryan off of him with his other arm. Ryan said something angrily in reply, but Tyler's ears were ringing too much to hear him.

Tyler continued to scream as he felt the knife twist, ripping through his forearm and tearing several arteries and veins. He panted heavily as his vision blurred and focused repeatedly. "Your wing... I helped you..." he said hoarsely, looking into Ryan's eyes and hoping to see something, anything, change in his stone-cold expression. But they remained icily hostile as the bat-hybrid removed the knife, which was now sticky and dripping with Tyler's blood. Tyler felt sick as he closed his eyes to block out the look of grim triumph in Ryan's face. He should have known that Ryan was no different from the rest of his family. He should have known that the Ryan he once thought he knew was never coming back. He should have known...

His throbbing head felt dizzy as more and more of his blood spilled onto the stone floor. Tyler knew that it was only a matter of time before Herobrine's scythe would reap his soul from his altered body. Do hybrids even go to the Aether? Or are their souls too damaged? Tyler wondered vaguely as he felt Ryan's weight leave him. His breathing had slowed to a shallow crawl and the pain in his arm had finally numbed.

But Ryan wasn't done with him yet as he grabbed Tyler's jaw and pressed a glass bottle to his lips, forcing some strange liquid down his throat. His arm began to burn painfully and Tyler moaned feebly. Was this something to speed up the process in a more torturous manner? He lifted his heavy eyelids to look at Ryan one last time. "Why?" he whispered, tears rushing down his pale face as his arm continued to excruciate.

When Ryan gave no response, Tyler's eyes slowly slid shut as he slipped away into the darkness, where he could finally be free...

---

After ten minutes of fighting, Seto and Dr. McNulty stopped and tried to catch their breaths, silently agreeing to a temporary truce. Both of them were worn out and had seemed to reach an impasse. They were on the ground again and began to circle each other slowly, sizing each other up. Dr. McNulty's eight tentacles curled and twisted in the air. Seto glared back at him, his eight water whips poised to strike if necessary, but nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

The water underneath Seto's feet suddenly formed icy bonds that bound Seto's ankles to the floor. He let out a cry of shock as he tried in vain to regain control over the water, dropping his whips in the process. "I thought you were an Air Elemental, not a Water Elemental!" Seto said, tugging desperately at the restraints that kept his legs from moving.

Dr. McNulty smiled as he lifted some more of the water to tie Seto's wrists and brought them down so Seto stood in a bending position. "I am both."

"But that's not possible!" Seto said in disbelief. "You can't have two Elements!"

"I never said I was born with two." the doctor said as he stepped closer to Seto. "I was originally just an Air Elemental. But when I turned myself into a squid hybrid, well, let's just say that it was more than just my physical appearance that changed." This made Seto struggle even harder. "Why do you insist on being my enemy?" Dr. McNulty suddenly asked. "After all, it is useless to fight one's reflection." Seto looked confused and the doctor smirked. "Do you not see?"

"See what?" Seto snapped.

"See just how alike we are."

"We are nothing alike."

Dr. McNulty laughed. "Oh, really now? Is that what you think? We mirror each other, you and I. I can see the darkness in you, I can see it lurking in the depths of your heart."

"Bullshit." Seto said angrily. "That's complete bullshit, and you know it."

"Deny it all you want, but you cannot ignore it. I can sense your thirst for power, your ambition to control all around you. I know how much hate you secretly harbor for your friends. They see you as their equal, but I know how much you want to show them your true power and force them to give you the respect you deserve."

"That- That's not true!" Seto said, but the pained expression on his face showed otherwise. He stared down at the floor, wallowing in regret.

One of his blue air-like tentacles drifted over to lift Seto's chin. The sorcerer shivered and shied away from its touch, but his restraints prevented him from moving away. "Now, now, Seto." Dr. McNulty said, peering into Seto's eyes. "There's no need to feel guilty. I know how you feel. I've been in your shoes before."

"Get away from me!" Seto said, shutting his eyes tightly. "I don't want to hear what you have to say!"

Dr. McNulty continued anyway. "You want the world to bow before you, don't you?"

Seto shook his head violently. "SHUT UP!" he screamed. "JUST SHUT UP!" He was ashamed of himself, ashamed of the fact that the doctor was right...

"School is boring for you, is it not? You learn more quickly than the teachers can teach you. You feel like you aren't at your full potential, like you're being held back." Seto slowly nodded in spite of himself. "Well, I can teach you spells that no one else could ever dream of mastering. I can make you a leader, someone to be feared and respected. Take a look at what you are capable of..." Against his will, Seto opened his eyes to see an image in the pool of water and couldn't look away.

Seto saw himself, but he seemed... different. This Seto was wearing a black cloak and had blue tentacles sprouting from his back, similar to the doctor's. There was a fearsome air to this Seto, and his brown eyes were cold and calculating. In the vision, Seto was standing on a high balcony in a giant fortress of ice. His hands were crackling with raw energy as he raised them to the sky. His eyes gleamed as he gazed upon the thousands of people below him, bowing in fear of his unmatched power.

"Does this not appeal to you?" Dr. McNulty asked as he felt the dog tag hidden under his coat begin to burn. Suddenly Seto's eyes glazed over as he felt a deep ambition burn inside of him. He wanted that power, he needed that power. It was his desire to see the world under his control and fear his might. Seto watched as the vision zoomed in on the other Seto's face. "All you need to do is reach for it..." Dr. McNulty's voice seemed miles away.

Seto was dimly aware of his binds freeing only his right hand. His hand trembled as he slowly reached for the pool of water underneath him. He needed to do this. This was all he ever wanted...

NO! SETO, DON'T DO IT! A familiar voice cried out in his mind.

Ty? Seto wondered.

Don't listen to him, Seto! He's mind controlling you! If you touch the pool, your dark side will take over your soul! You'll become someone you really aren't! Deadlox's voice was frantic.

Seto stopped reaching for the pool, a look of confusion on his face. "Go on, Seto. Isn't this what you've always wanted?" Dr. McNulty asked, the dog tag burning even hotter.

DON'T GIVE IN!

Seto blinked rapidly and his eyes became clear again. "NO!" he shrieked, the icy restraints suddenly exploding into millions of shards. Seto fell forward on the ground, breathing heavily from his outburst as he picked himself up. He put his hands on his bent knees before regaining the energy to stand upright. Dr. McNulty stepped back, startled, as the dog tag cooled down against his chest. "Your... Your mind games won't work on me, Dr. McNulty. I am nothing like you. I'm not a messed up sadist like you who tortures people just for fun. Maybe I do have a dark side, but I'll never let it take me over, and that's final." Seto's head throbbed painfully as he coughed. It had taken a lot of effort to overcome the mind control.

Dr. McNulty shrugged. "Well if you insist..." he said.

Both sorcerers reacted at the same time and the two opposing spells collided with each other. Blue clashed with purple as the beams connected. Seto ground his heels in the floor as he struggled to push the blue beam back. He grit his teeth in determination and shut his eyes tightly as beads of sweat ran down his face. I WILL NOT GIVE IN! I WILL NOT GIVE IN! The mantra replayed over and over again in his mind, giving him the strength he needed to make the blue recede.

Dr. McNulty's eyes widened and then narrowed in anger. He felt the dog tag begin to burn again as an electric-blue aura surrounded him. Now it was Seto's turn to look shocked as Dr. McNulty began to levitate in the air, and when he opened his eyes, they were glowing black slits. His booming voice echoed loudly, sending fear into Seto's heart. "DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ME, CHILD. I AM A LOYAL SERVANT OF LORD ENDER, AND I WILL NOT LET YOU OR ANYONE ELSE DEFEAT ME!"

Seto felt his knees tremble violently as the blue quickly overcame the purple. He cried out as his magic fizzled out and the blue beam sent him flying backwards. He hit the wall and landed painfully on the floor. He glanced weakly at his right hand, which lay outstretched in front of him, and he made one last attempt to form a spell. A tiny purple flame flickered to life in his palm before fading away. His magic had finally run out, and he felt exhausted. Seto's eyes slid shut as he drifted off to sleep.

---

Jerome heard Seto scream and immediately jolted awake. The adrenaline numbing the pain in his shoulder, the bacca jumped to his feet and raced out the door. "SETO? SETO!" he yelled, heading in the direction of the scream.

When he finally reached the room, he saw Dr. McNulty kneeling next to Seto and holding the sorcerer's limp, pale arm. The doctor looked up and smiled as he got to his feet and took several steps back. "Why hello, Jerome. I wasn't expecting you to wake up so soon."

Jerome's wide eyes stared in horror at Seto, who was now letting out tiny whimpers. "What did you do to him?" he asked fearfully as he approached Seto's body.

"I wouldn't get so close if I were you." Dr. McNulty said.

Suddenly Seto's eyes shot open and he screamed, a sharp note that rang loud and clear, a terrible melody of pain. Ignoring the doctor's advice, Jerome ran over to Seto and knelt beside him, trying to find the source of the pain. He turned over Seto's arm and saw a tiny puncture point. Dr. McNulty had injected something in him. Seto gazed up at Jerome, his face contorted in agony. "J-Jerome? Jerome, make it stop!" he said pleadingly as he writhed on the floor. "It hurts!"

Jerome tried to comfort the pained sorcerer. "It's okay, Seto, it's okay, you're fine..." Seto shook his head and let out a choked sob. Jerome felt Seto's skin quickly turning hot and looked up at Dr. McNulty, who was standing from a distance. "What did you inject in him?" he demanded, but the doctor remained silent.

Seto continued to cry. "It burns! It bu-urns..." Seto shut his eyes and let several tears leak out. He was sweating profusely and panting heavily. Jerome let out a yelp of shock when Seto opened his eyes again. His brown eyes were now tinged with orange. "Jerome..." Seto whispered, reaching out a trembling arm out to him. "Help... me..."

What happened next made Jerome scramble backwards and scream in pure horror. His eyes were wide open and he was unable to look away from the disturbing scene. Seto had suddenly burst into flames and was burning alive right in front of him. He continued to scream until his throat ached too much and he could scream no more. Jerome's vision faded from orange to black as he passed out for the fourth time that day.