Memories of the race, the shine of moonlight tracing the ground, illuminating their faces. His thoughts ignored, instincts taking over. Shooting arrow after arrow from his quiver, releasing them from by bow, hitting target after target with pure satisfaction.

Petra's warrior cry ringing in his ears, Jesse's brilliant laughter and Ivor's shouts of protests, all with a smile on his face. He could make out their figures amongst the familiar landscape, the night sky reigning from above.

"Hey," Aiden nudged him with his elbow reluctantly, "you good?"

The vision faded in his mind like smoke, and Lukas realized he had stopped in place, reminiscing. The mansion was in their sights, the sun just above the horizon. He shook his head.

"Fine. Let's keep going." They trudged on in measly silence.

Lukas wasn't sure whether he regretted letting Aiden tag along, but he sure hoped he wouldn't. Besides, once this was over, he wouldn't ever have to come across him again, so this would all be worth it.

"Why-" he paused for a second, grabbing the blond's attention, "why are you here, exactly?"

And that was the question. The one that seemed to pester him everywhere he went. Why was it? To cure himself of this trauma, he had hoped. But now, he wasn't so sure. It seemed as if everything was only getting worse.

"I don't know." He answered dully, their footsteps rough among the dirt.

The two continued. That was all they could do at the moment anyway.

*

"Aaand-done." Jesse heaved a sigh, smiling gently through relief, hands proudly on her hips as she admired her work. The treasure hall was finished, garnished with all their treasures from past adventures. Reuben's banner hung brightly on the wall, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "You like it bud? I think you would've."

Her voice echoed idly throughout the hall, her smile dying down a bit. She hadn't realized how lonely it had been. For Notch's sake, she was talking to a banner.

She groaned and flopped herself carelessly on the ground, staring at the ceiling that seemed so far away. She had a bit of paperwork to do, but she didn't feel like it. So she let herself daydream, eyelids growing heavy...

"Yes!" She shouted aloud, sitting up abruptly. "Thanks Reuben, I know what to do now."

She whistled, skipping cheerfully towards her office, pulling out a handful of blank letters and envelopes amongst the mess. She grabbed a pen, bit the cap off, and began to write.

To Axel...

To Olivia...

To Petra...

Meet me here in the hall in three days. What for? Come and find out! I'm not telling. No excuses, I want all of you here for a surprise. You'll like it, I promise.

-Jesse

She finished the three letters with a stamp and a smile. Tomorrow, she'd go tell Lukas, he lived pretty nearby anyway.

And besides, it didn't seem like he had anything else to do.

*

The mansion was elegant just as it was deadly. The place was cold, dreary, dust lining the furniture. Sunlight peaked in gently through the panes of glass. Lukas stood in front of the double doors, the entrance he had opened. Aiden was admiring the inside, eyes traveling quickly across the room from where he stood.

"I could live here." He exclaimed, partly mischievous, partly curious.

"Trust me," Lukas replied dimly, "you don't want to."

He stepped inside, and was immediately brought with a sense of broken nostalgia. The familiar outlines, the rough, crooked textures on the wall. A heavy remembrance loomed over him.

What caught his eye first, however, were the long, uneasily vibrant pictures that draped down the walls. Pictures of people, pictures of people he knew, and him himself. Aiden made a chortled sound, stricken.

"Is that-you?" He pointed clearly, like he didn't want to believe it. The blond just walked past him, heading into the center of the room. "At least tell me something-you can't just lead me in here and expect me not to ask questions."

He turned his head, staring upwards in some sort of curious awe.

"That old guy...Petra...Jesse...and you." His voice drowned out, muffled in his ears. Lukas looked around, gritting his teeth. He could feel something, someone, a presence.

"You must be pretty stupid, coming back here." A voice hissed amusingly in his ear. His view froze, Aiden's shadow curling into a ball before expanding into the shape of a figure. He recognized her shape, and the shadow seemed to pop itself out of the floor, its appearance dangerously real.

Cassie sat crossed-legged on a small podium, grinning, leaning on the blunt end of her axe. Little wisps of darkness edged from her feet, eyes sparkling with mischief. Winslow mewed at her side.

"I didn't come here for you." He exclaimed automatically, not thinking straight.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." She rolled her eyes, hopping off the podium and dragging her weapon across the floor, the diamond glimmer catching his eye. "You came here for something, obviously."

He shut his eyes. It's not real.

"Oh, but it is." He opened them, and not more than an a few inches away, she stared right into his soul, smile awfully sick. A chill, he could've sworn he could feel her breath. How could he feel something that wasn't real? "It's all real."

She pointed to his heart.

"In here."

She moved her finger slowly to his forehead, pressing hard. Her fingernail dug into his skin. He couldn't move.

"And in here."

He tasted something bitter in his mouth. Metallic, coppery. He watched her laugh, taunting him brutally before exploding into a cloud of dust. The specks floated gently down to the ground.

Next thing he knew, he was on the ground, head throbbing viciously. His body shook violently, the tips on his fingers numb. Aiden towered over him, blocking from the sun, shouting something furiously.

But he couldn't make out a thing.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! I definitely had a fun time writing it after getting through with writers' block. Anyway, not much to say here, cya guys later!