I squeezed my eyes shut as I was brought through the nether portal, sure that I was about to be killed. I could feel myself being lifted out of the overworld, and into the last realm I would ever want to enter. I could hear screams behind me, and I recognized them immediately. Mot. He wouldn't follow Dianite into the nether, I knew, and I didn't want him to. As long as it was only me who would be dying, I didn't mind leaving the world.

At least death is easier than explaining to Mot that I had actually trusted Dianite for all this time.

"Lord Dianite!" I heard someone shout upon my entrance. I dared to open my eyes, and saw rows upon rows of pigmen. This must have been his army, and it made me nauseous with fear. "What plan shall we go with?"

"Plan A is working so far," Dianite thundered. "I have the little girl. The others are close by, so you'll need to attack as fast as possible. Once I give you the signal, all of you must come through the portal and kill everyone. I will need backup. Also, in case Jeriah doesn't show up, go to Plan B. Understood?"

"NO!" I screamed, but with the gag, it sounded more like a muffled "eughhhhhhh!"

"Yes, Lord Dianite," the pigmen all said together. Their menacing voices sent chills up my spine.

"Perfect! Then let the war begin!" He said it as if he was announcing the start of a game. The "audience" cheered and hollered with joy, waving their stumpy arms in the air.

"Dianite!" I cried. "What about me?" Unfortunately, he didn't even hear me. He lifted me up once again and dived back through the portal, no doubt to kill me in front of everyone. A public execution, even better.

"OH MY GOD!" Mot screamed the second we arrived back in the overworld. He looked absolutely terrible, with red, puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks.

"And now, weaklings!" Dianite was practically laughing. "The war begins!"

"LET HER GO, YOU MONSTER!" Mot proceeded to let out a long string of curse words as he charged the god.

"Oh, how convincing." Dianite sounded bored. With one wave of his hand, the earth below us began to tremble and split. My father's horse let out a screech of terror and tore off, nearly taking out poor Ianite. Dianite and I were on a little island, surrounded by lava.

"Brother! What is this?" Mianite roared. "Why, of all people, the little girl?"

Dianite laughed. "Little did you know, this girl has been talking to me for years on end. We're good friends, aren't we, Alyssa?" He grinned down at me.

"AAHHHHHHHHH!" I cried, the only noise I could actually form, wriggling around desperately.

He quickly yanked me back into the center of the island. "What, are you trying to kill yourself? That's lava down there!"

I looked up and glared at him. "Essss."

The devil raised an eyebrow. "Well, in that case, I won't allow you to." He cleared his throat and turned back to the horrified crowd that had gathered. "Alyssa here has been pouring her sorrows out for years upon years to me. Mistreated by her loved ones, what did you expect from her? A loyal, obedient child?" He roared with laughter.

"Oh... oh my gods." The color had drained from Mot's face, and I was afraid that he was going to faint. His expression made the tears flow even faster from my eyes, soaking the rope I was bound in.

"Thought you knew your daughter, didn't you? That's what they always think. Unintentionally neglecting and abusing the person they love! You just happen to have exceptionally bad luck. Most don't fall for the words of the literal devil."

"You son-of-a..." Mianite hissed. Clenching his fists, he sent five bolts of lighting right on top of his brother. I flinched away from the blinding light and intense smell of smoke, but I could still feel the flames passing right by me.

"Well, that was uncalled for. Hear me out, at least." Dianite didn't seem to be injured by Mianite's attack. "Your daughter, Mr. Mot, is going to die tonight. That is, if you fight against me. Want to know something? Your friend Jeriah has been right this entire time. I have no quarrel with you, or anyone from your realm. Your daughter has done nothing to me. My argument here is with Mianite and Ianite. Join my side, or at the very least, step to the side and do no harm to me, and you and Alyssa here shall be spared. Is that a deal? I just want the blood of my siblings who have abused and mistreated me this whole time. Spilling your blood is just an unnecessary extra."

"I'm not a fool, Dianite. I'm guessing that even if you did become... friends... with my daughter," he paused to shoot me another horrified glance, "that you made her a lot of promises you didn't keep. And here you are, using her to lure me into yet another trap. I can make you this promise, Dianite: none of us are going to join your side."

Dianite roared with laughter. "I suppose you're agreeing with him, Old Man Spark?"

Spark, who was in fact an old man again, pointed his blade at Dianite. "I will do whatever I can to help my lady. You can't stop that."

"Well, if you insist," Dianite was still laughing. "My love, why don't you join me now, and show them that you were right all along?" He held out his arm, as if he was going to reach across the lava gorge and take someone's hand.

"What? 'My love'?" Mot looked disgusted as he craned his neck to looked at a stunned Jeriah. "Jeriah, don't tell me you're going to go with his bs?"

The man took a deep breath. "There are some times, Mot, when you have to follow your heart. This is one of those times." He looked up at Dianite with a determined look in his eyes, and began to walk forward. "I must join the one and only person who I truly love in this world."

"WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?" Mot shouted, looking completely confused. He was too shocked to even react as a bridge formed over the lava pit and Jeriah strode over it.

"I'd also like to mention," Jeriah said, waving his weapon, "that I now possess the only long-range weapon that can kill gods. Tremble in fear, Mianite and Ianite. Your time has come."

"You're a mortal, you idiot!" Mianite yelled. He sent a bolt of lightning toward Jeriah, but Dianite reacted faster than I could've ever imagined. He flung himself over the mortal and blocked the bolt with his bare back.

"He's a mortal, under my protection," Dianite growled. "It's like Spark said. He refuses to leave the one he loves, and I shall refuse to let the one I love die at the hands of a god who thinks of him as nothing more than just another human."

"This can't be happening..." Mot breathed.

"Yes, Mot, it can. You know all the lies your little god Mianite told you about how this war would go? It's not coming true. Kiss your petty little lives goodbye, will you?"

Jeriah put an arrow into his bow and pointed it straight at the petrified Mianite. "You heard him, you white-haired asshole. Say goodbye."

As Dianite roared with laughter, distracted, I slipped from his grasp and began to slowly roll away from him and toward the gorge.

I would kiss my life goodbye, alright, but it wouldn't be under Dianite's hands.