"C'mon, we have to hurry" Seto urged Clocky as they both ran down the hallway. Seto gripped the book in his hand. After reading the next chapter of the book, he became terrified as the book motivated him more to find the next person to die.

Seto had never really been an athlete. He was never good at running the mile or playing any particular sport. Seeing him now, you wouldn't think twice. He ran as fast as he possibly could, trying to prevent the death of someone he knew so well. He new he would regret this later, but that didn't matter now. All that did matter was saving him.

"Seto..!" Clocky panted "W-wait up! I can barely keep up!"

Seto ignored the smaller one chasing after him, only going faster as the sound of the clock ticking echoed through the halls along with his footsteps. He knew he was close, he could just feel it. He was going to make it, he could prevent him from dying. As Seto took a sharp right, his hope-filled spirit fueled him as his legs started to burn with exhaustion. Almost falling over in the process, Seto came to a halt as he could now make out a figure in the distance. Whoever it was, he was now hunched over on the ground, almost looking like he was hurt from a distance.

"IAN!" Seto called out from the other side of the hall. So many emotions and questions filled him as he stood there panting. He was relieved that he had finally been reunited with someone he knew. He could now apologize to Ian and make amends with him. Grief was the second emotion to overcome Seto, as he thought of Bodil and how he would tell Ian if he didn't know already. Lastly, fear hit him like a truck, making his body forcibly continue to move in the direction of his friend.

When he looked at the book a few minutes ago, the page was plastered with Ian's name all over. Knowing the correlation to the names showing up in the death book, he could not let the other person who entered the mansion with him die. Having Clocky by his side was a huge advantage, as he was able to help out even through he wasn't allowed to do much. He was extremely grateful for him, he just didn't know how nor had enough time to properly thank him.

Running towards the assumed figure of Ian, he began to worry as there was no response to his presence. Was he hurt? Did the monster get to him already? Was he....

Nearing what he now could tell was Ian, he didn't seem harmed or dead. But getting closer also helped Seto notice another thing: the reason for his strange position. He seemed to be holding someone - someone familiar.

He stopped in front of Ian, out of breath and astonished by what he was now a witness of. Slowly looking up at him wide eyed, Ian's cold, yet sad expression was all he needed to know what happend.

"He's dead..." Ian muttered "Jerome is dead..."

The strange, red lights of death began to fade as the four boys stood ready to defend themselves. None of them had been harmed, nor did they see the monster that had a taste for human flesh.

Sky trembled, looking at the rest of the group. "This can only mean two things. One, the monster is dead and didn't kill anyone or..." he swallowed hard. "Or it killed Jerome, Ian, Seto, or Ty.."

"If it killed Seto or Ty, we won't really be sure of unless we find Jerome and Ian" Jason said in reply.

Tyler soon chimed in, clenching his fists in anger. "Goddamnit! Why did Jerome have to run off like that?! If we had all just gone together it would have been much safer!" Sub nodded in agreement.

"I-I don't know..but we have to find them and make sure they aren't...ya know.." Sky frowned, gazing down at the floor. The more this twisted idea of a horror map continued, the more Sky seemed to crack under the stress.

Sub walked over to Sky and patted him on the back, attempting to console him. Tyler sighed and blurred out, "Lets just try and get a move on. Who knows, maybe Ian was able to kill it and things will all be ok. But we won't know for sure unless we start moving now"

Jason nodded. "Right, c'mon guys, let go find them"

Following the path that Jerome took, the four headed off back into the dimly lit corridor. The only thing that motivated them enough to move on was the motivation to find their friends. However, despair hung on their shoulders like weights. It was difficult just to keep moving forward. But they had to. They had to find Jerome and the others. And they had to escape with their lives.

Seto stared back at Ian's broken expression, not knowing what to say.

Why was Jerome here? And why isn't Ian dead? The book said that he was supposed to die... Seto thought.

Seto looked over Jeromes lifeless body in Ian's arms. There was a long, three clawed mark that ran from his face, to his stomach. The wound was deep, enough to kill with one fatal slash. A silver sword was laying next to Ian, not a single stain of blood on the blade. The sight made Seto cringe as he was hardly able to look at his body.

Glancing behind him, Seto realized that Clocky
must've left; being to shy in front of other people. However, having another problem on his hands, his voice choked out a few words.

"What happened...?"

It took a while for Ian to say anything. Even while speaking, you could tell it was a struggle.

"The thing just lunged at us... I t-tried to hit it but...but my sword got knocked away.." Ian looked back down at Jeromes body

"I-it was going to kill me...but then...Jerome he..." Ian's voice started to crack "He jumped in front of me and t-took the blow. I should've died instead of him....Why? Why did he do that?!"

Seto was at a loss for words. What are you supposed to say to someone who just witnessed the murder of their friend? And plus, Seto knew that Ian was supposed to die. Telling him that would just make things worse.

What to say...what to say...

"He did it because he cared about you. I'm sure he doesn't want you to think his life was wasted either"

Ian just started at him blankly.

"U-Um I mean...-!  Well.. knowing Jerome, I'm sure he wouldn't want you spending your time in regret that it should've been you who died...He also wanted you to survive so you should honor that.."

Seto started to feel a strange knot build in his stomach. Jerome has changed fate...he even figured the book...how Ian react if he knew this..? How was he supposed to keep this information from him?

As Setos mind became and anxiety ridden battle field, Ian got his attention quickly out of it.

"Thank you...for saying that..." Ian didn't smile or change at all.  The cold expression stayed on his face, and he got a feeling it only did a little to help him. But hey, at least it was better than nothing.

"I'm glad you aren't hurt. Now the others just have to find us and Ty..." Ian spoke his thoughts outloud as he stared blankly at the nearest clock. Just like all the other times, the 5 o'clock circle soon filled to become red, reminding them of yet another death. Only seven more until they would all be killed off..

Seto nodded. "Maybe we should try to find them too. Then we can distract your mind a little...and you can fill me in what I missed" He smiled a little at Ian, though it was a bit forced.

Ian agreed, cautiously taking Jeromes corpse off of him. After moving Jerome to the side of the hallway, Seto brushed a hand over his face to close his eyes to 'put him at rest'. He also traced a symbol in the air with his finger for extra protection.

Seto placed his hands on his hips after standing up. "We can come back for him once we get rid of the demon in this place." He said trying to reassure Ian. "For the others as well. They need a proper send off."

"Yeah...okay.." Ian mumbled, sword in hand and still emotionless.

"I found out a few interesting things about this place, if you care to listen?" Seto and Ian began to walk back down the hallway, having to leave Jerome behind.

The room was dimly lit by a soft, red light that hovered above a large throne. A shadow was cast on the face of the person sitting in it, masking the face completely. A small boy sat in front of the looming presence of the figure, trembling while on his knees.

"I-I'm sorry...I'll try harder, master..." Clocky stuttered, the mark on his face beginning to bleed.

"Silence." The demonic voice echoed through the chamber. A growl from the demon standing beside the throne followed the voice as it stared down upon Clocky.

"If you think I don't know what you have been doing, you are foolishly mistaken." The two toned voice once again made its way around the chamber as the source of the voice stared down at Clocky. "You will retrieve the book back from that sorcerer and bring it to me. If I catch you helping those helpless rats, you might just end up becoming dinner.."

Clocky shuttered, staring at the demon beside the throne. It's deep, purple eyes stared into him, teeth and claws showing murderous intent.

"Y-Yes, Master.. I...I won't help them...I'll sabotage them like you asked..."

The figure smirked down at Clocky, chuckling. "Good...Very good...Do not disappoint me, Clocky."

"Yes...Master..." Clocky stood, bowing before his master, heading back into the endless maze of the mansion to find Seto.