"Please don't freak out," Jack said, obviously trying to delay telling Mark as much as possible. Ethan was right beside him, offering physical comfort with an arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Ethan told me about Dark and Blank... I know what they did and..." Jack glanced at Ethan to show his fear and reluctance; Ethan's response was to smile encouragingly. "I have my own demon. His name is Anti."

Mark gasped, his eyes wide as he attempted to comprehend what Jack had just told him. "...Are you serious?"

Jack nodded, hanging his head so his fringe shielded his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? We need to do something about this..." Mark looked at Ethan. "Can you get Blank to talk to him?"

"Don't worry, I'll sort it out." Ethan smiled softly but inside his stomach was churning.

-

"You can tell us to stop at any time and we'll go back to Jack." Anti spat. Ethan wiped the saliva that had hit his cheek away with his hand, glaring at the green-haired demon.

"I don't want you to go back to Jack. I can take this." Ethan spoke, his voice laced with fake confidence. He was then pushed into the wall, Anti's knife against his neck. The sharp edge dug into his skin, tearing it apart as red formed in the wound. Ethan's breath hitched but he refused to admit weakness.

"You sure? You're shaking." Anti cackled, sounding like a hyena. Ethan felt small as Anti circled him like he was his prey. He licked his lips, hungry but not for food, for pain... for blood.

"I'm certain."

"This is going to be fun then," Anti traced Ethan's cheekbone with the blade of his knife but not enough to cut into the skin. "Let's see just how much you can take."

"Will you kill me?"

"Do you think I'm that stupid? I saved your life once and I wouldn't take it away in a second."

"What?" Ethan's eyes widened so Anti froze, backing up a little as his mouth formed an evil smirk.

"Don't you remember?" Ethan raised his eyebrows to encourage the demon to continue. "Dark was going to kill you but I stopped him. I saved your life so I'd say you owed me."

Ethan blinked, looking down at the ground. His mouth opened then closed as he was unable to respond. How could he forget Anti saved his life? Surely there couldn't be any good in him... right? Suddenly, Anti shoved Ethan backwards and he let out a high pitched yelp.

-

Ethan was aching all over as he opened his eyes. He winced, sitting up very stiffly. His arms were bloody and he was certain his body was a mixture of black and blue. Anti had not taken any mercy in him. He made his way to the bathroom and sighed as he went back to his old routine: very painful shower, makeup and, finally, pretend to be okay.

-

Jack was back to his bubbly old self. "Guess what!" He practically yelled at breakfast. Ethan had been nice enough to cook everyone some pancakes so they were all sat around the table.

"What?" Mark asked, eating a bit of his food and smiling at the taste.

"Anti didn't do anything last night. I didn't even dream." Jack proudly grinned, making Ethan smile gently. He continued to wince at almost every movement but he was ecstatic that Jack had been okay.

"That's great! What did you do, Eth? Get Blank to talk to him?"

"Something like that..."

-

Ethan muttered a profanity as his hand clasped his nose. He ran to the bathroom with a good attempt of not getting any blood on his covers. He grabbed a wad of tissues, pressing them into his bloody nose. Any naive person would have rushed him to the hospital with an intense fear it could be broken but Ethan knew better. He had had more than his fair share of nose bleeds, especially since he was cursed with demons who were determined to make his life hell. Blank was not a curse but still a slight hindrance as he had been the bait to lure the others in.

"You need to tell them..." Blank muttered, appearing sat cross-legged on the closed toilet seat. Ethan barely flinched at his sudden appearance as he had grown used to the 'surprises' (for lack of a better word) since Blank had come into his life. "You're hurting and I'm worried you're going to do something careless- not that signing yourself up for a lifetime of pain wasn't careless but you know what I mean."

"I won't kill us. I just... need to do this for Jack."

"You don't. I'm sure we could figure out an alternative solution that's slightly better for your wellbeing."

Ethan shook his head, getting rid of the tissue that had turned a deep red colour. "What's the point in trying? Dark and Anti are so much stronger than us. They could kill us in a fight within thirty seconds." His voice had become empty and devoid of all emotion, reflecting how his hope was quickly deteriorating.

"The point is... you're dying. Obviously not physically but emotionally. You've lost your energy and hyperactivity and it won't be long before people notice. Mark and Jack will catch on eventually and they'll want you to do something. What if your- what are they called?- subscribers find out? You try to promote the message that you should never give up yet that is exactly what you have done. Don't let them down."

Ethan sighed, picking at a loose thread on his pyjama bottoms. "Okay. Any ideas?" He sounded almost sardonic, like he was testing Blank. The demon, his eyes still fixed on his human self, shook his head.

"I've got nothing."

"Well... thanks for the inspirational speech and all but there's no use trying if we have nowhere to start."

"I'll think of something." Blank then faded into a cloud of black smoke, leaving Ethan alone with his thoughts.