"Hey, Spark!" Ianite greeted me with a quick hug. "Can you do something for me?"

I was slightly disappointed that I wouldn't be spending time with her now, but I was willing to do whatever I needed to. "Yeah, sure. What would that be?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mot exit her temple and climb onto his own ship.

"I'm trying to make a new type of block," she said, biting her lip worriedly. "If it works, it'll help us become more powerful. Could you gather some materials for me?" She handed me a small list. I read over it quickly, and none of it seemed too difficult to obtain.

"Sure thing, Ianite. You going to be alright while I'm gone? Maybe you should stick in the overworld for now so Mianite can watch over you." The last thing I wanted was for her to be hurt while I was gone.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't need you to protect me at every second, Spark. But if you insist, I'll stay with Mianite." She followed me into the ship, and we sailed out of Aethoria together.

"Well, I'll be off now." I kissed her once before climbing off. "Where can I find you once I've gotten everything?"

She leaned over the side of the ship and squinted into the distance, her long hair blowing in the wind. "I suppose I can go to the Mianite temple. Yeah, just come there once you've gotten everything." She reached out a hand, and I helped her jump onto the dock.

I set off in search of different flowers that were necessary for the coloring of the blocks. Since most of the flowers here had been picked by Alyssa, I needed to travel farther away in order to collect them. I jumped on my horse, a fast brown one, and rode off into the hills.

Right away, I began to find some of the flowers. I picked up more than necessary, even though it just cluttered my inventory. I could give them to Alyssa or something, assuming that she still likes flower crowns. I kept riding once I decided I had more than enough, and kept going for about fifteen minutes.

This went on for quite a few hours, and I was beginning to get tired. Although I looked no older than thirty, I still had the mind of an old man in some ways. I had gotten enough of everything, so I figured I could start heading towards the Mianite temple. If it wasn't enough, I could always go back. No harm done. 

It took another exhausting hour to ride back to the temple, but I finally made it. I tethered the horse to the fence post outside, and fed it an apple for being so good during the trip. It deserved it. With that, I started heading up the quartz path.

"Ianite!" I called, taking out some of the flowers. "I've got what you need!" Worry started to fill me when she didn't reply. "Ianite? IANITE?" I began to run towards the temple.

Spark?" Mianite called. "Is that you?" I ran in the direction of the voice. Ianite was trembling in a corner, and Mianite was kneeling beside her.

"What's going on?" I gasped. Now that I thought about it, I could feel Dianite's presence too. "Is he trying to mess with you again?"

Ianite shrugged weakly. "Who knows what he's up to? I can tell that he isn't in the temple, but he's somewhat nearby. What on earth could he be up to?"

My eyes widened in alarm. "Is everyone all split up?"

"I have no idea," Mianite said. "I'm going to go check. Spark, make sure Ianite's okay." He got up and ran in the direction of the path.

"Will do," I answered, and looked back down at Ianite. "Can you get up?"

"I can try." I leaned down and helped her to her feet. "As long as I lean on you, I can stand." 

"Good." I breathed a sigh of relief and moved my arm to support her. "Ianite, I'm worried about whoever's out there."

"There's nothing we can do, Spark." After a moment of silence, she suddenly jumped as if she had just remembered something. "Actually..." She looked up at me.

"What can I do?" I asked right away. "I'll do anything to be able to help out."

"Would you mind going back to your... older self?" she asked quietly. "It might give me a bit of strength. I know you'll be weakened and..."

"Of course, Ianite! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" I was horrified, wondering how much stronger she would have been this whole time if I hadn't taken up her energy in such a selfish way.

"I didn't think it was necessary," she replied, shooting me a guilty look. "Step back, and I'll transform you."

I helped her lean against the wall, and then closed my eyes. I felt myself growing weaker and weaker, and hunching over. The nervous energy I had had faded away, and my hands felt as if they were shriveling up. I was an old man again.

"There you go," she said, smiling. "I know it's not the same, but..." She stopped mid-sentence and stared off into the distance.

I spun around, but nothing was there. "Ianite? What's wrong? IANITE!"

She pressed her hands against the wall, and began to pant. "He's... SPARK! SPARK! NO!" 

I held her shoulders and gently shook her. "WHAT'S WRONG? WHAT'S WRONG? IS HE HERE?"

Tears spilled from her eyes as she shook her head. "No... Spark, he's appeared. He's nearby, and not n spirit form. I think... I think he's killing someone!" She started trembling. "SPARK!"

"Oh my gods, oh my gods, what do I do?" I felt utterly helpless, and she probably did too. "We need to go help out, Ianite!"

"I know, I know!" she panted. "I'm strong enough to walk by myself. Just follow as quickly as you can." She began to speed-walk over to the entrance.

I pulled out my sword. "I'll do my best!" We started to half-walk, half-jog over to what seemed to be the priest's house. In the distance, we could see that a crowd was already beginning to form. Mot was on a horse, screaming bloody murder, and Mianite was close behind him. 

"What happened?" Ianite screamed once we were in earshot. "Mianite! Mot! What happened?"

My eyes weren't as good as they were before, but I could tell from here that Mot's face was covered in tears, and that Mianite looked absolutely horrified. "SHE'S DEAD!" Mot hollered back. "ALYSSA'S IN THE NETHER! DIANITE GOT TO HER! I'M TOO LATE!"

"No! NO!" Ianite ran over as fast as she could. I was close behind her.

"Does anyone know where Jeriah is?" Mianite asked, squinting into the distance. "Wait a second! He and Redbeard are over there! Someone needs to tell them to stay far, far away. We can't have any more deaths on our hands!"

I was about to open my mouth to reply when an explosion sounded from inside the priest's house. We all jumped back in terror as Dianite, carrying a definitely-not-dead Alyssa, climbed back through the portal and smiled at us. 

"And now, weaklings," the god said. "The war begins."