I was tending to the animals in the community farm when I heard screaming and sobbing from nearby. Panicked, I tore through the gate and dashed towards the sounds, sword in hand. I ran into the priest's house and discovered Alyssa and Mot laying on the ground, bleeding, crying, and hugging each other.

"What happened?" I gasped. "Oh my gods, who hurt you?"

"D... Dianite," Alyssa squeaked between sobs. "He tried to kill Mot. He's too powerful, Spark! Dad couldn't fight him, and I couldn't either! We just managed to escape!"

My mouth fell open. "You went into the nether? What were you two thinking?"

"He... he hurt Alyssa yesterday," Mot wheezed, his voice hoarse from screaming. "I went to kill... well, more like weaken I suppose, Dianite, but he was more powerful than I thought." The poor man buried his face in his hands, and Alyssa hugged him again.

"Oh my gods," I said again. "I'll... I'll go talk to Ianite. You may want to get some golden apples from Mianite to help heal yourselves, though." With that, I took off in the direction of the End portal.

When I arrived in Aethoria, Redbeard was running towards me, looking frightened. "My lady's been acting weird for the past day or so. I was just about to go ask for help actually, while she slept. Do you know of anything that could be happening?"

The color drained from my face as I realized I'd have to tell the truth. "Dianite... Dianite is strong again. It's probably weakening her, oh no. He almost killed Mot and Alyssa just now! It probably won't be long before he makes his way into the overworld."

Redbeard looked like he might faint. "What do we do, Spark?" Without waiting for an answer, he pushed past me. "I'll go talk to Mianite!" He exited the realm, leaving me alone.

I wandered towards Ianite's castle, thinking the situation over. What would happen if we didn't kill Dianite soon? I had heard stories of how weak Ianite was when our alternates lived in the realm. It took a massive amount of effort for her to even appear. Would my lady fade away? I couldn't bear the thought. I had found love in this world of hatred and despair, and losing it would be too much.

Suddenly, a shriek erupted from the house next to me. It was followed by several more, and then a "NOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!" What was happening to Ianite? I thought she had been asleep.

"Ianite? Ianite, where are you?" I cried, dashing into the house. I tore up a small staircase and found my lady laying in a bed, violently shaking and screaming. What kind of nightmare was she having?

"PLEASE!" Tears began to run down her face. "DIANITE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

My heart pounded at those last words. I ran over to her and shook her gently. "Ianite! Wake up please! It's just a dream, I promise! It's just a dream!" After a moment, her eyes burst open, and her screaming dissolved in sobs.

"S... Spark," she whispered, still trembling.

"It's okay, my lady," I said in a desperate effort to calm her down. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me, rocking her back and forth until she calmed down.

"Th... thank you," she said tearfully, burying her face into my side. "How did you know to wake me up?"

Chills rushed through my body. "Well, umm, you were kind of screaming and crying. I woke you up as fast as I could. What was happening?" I feared for the answer, but I had to know it.

She hesitated for a moment. "I guess I have to tell you the truth. It won't do anyone any good by lying." She stopped leaning into me, and stared off into the distance. "Spark... I think Dianite is returning. We should have attacked him long ago, when he was weak. We're fools." She buried her face in her hands, unable to look me in the eyes.

"It's okay, Ianite," I said, even though it clearly wasn't. "We'll still be able to stop him. We're more powerful than he is. We have two gods on our side."

She shook her head. "You don't understand. I'm going to be of little to no use during the fight. Dianite's presence throws off my balance. It weakens me beyond anything Mianite alone can heal. Tonight, he just... I don't know. He somehow managed to get into my dreams and ruin them, which he shouldn't be able to do. Not while I'm here, in my land. Maybe he's too strong, or maybe there's just something wrong with me."

"My lady, you aren't weak, and..."

"Spark, stop." Her voice was low and harsh. "Telling me that helps nobody. I am going insane, and you have to accept it. Too much evil can do that to a goddess of balance. I don't know what to do with myself, but you can't trust me in the heat of battle. I... I can't trust myself in battle."

"No, Ianite," I answered firmly. "I will not accept that you have 'gone insane', because I don't believe you have. If you believe that it will be beneficial to you to stay out of the war, so be it. Nobody will force you to fight if it will only damage you more. On the other hand, it isn't an issue of trusting you. You believe in me after all. And I believe in you."

She stared at her feet. "I wish it was a matter of belief, dear Spark." She shook her head sadly. "Anyway, what brought you to the End? Did you come to talk to me about something?"

My heart sank. "Well, you see, I was going to tell you what you just told me. Dianite is too strong."

She looked alarmed. "How would you know that?"

I looked away. "Well, you see, he almost killed Mot and Alyssa just now."