Warning: This chapter contains dark themes along with mild gore. Proceed with caution. For all of you who love me, it was nice while it lasted.

The first chapter to the sequel will be posted exactly one week after this chapter, so you all can follow it should you decide and so I don't leave you on this note for up to a year.

Cedric woke up the morning of the Third Task feeling sick. More than ever, he regretted entering this stupid Tournament in the first place. He was terrified of what lay inside the maze and what might happen, not just to him, but to his friends. He still wanted to try. He still wanted to win. But he was scared about the cost. In his Prefect backpack, which he had taken to carrying around everywhere, he had several books borrowed from Hermione's Great-Uncle Ferdinand's vault to study.

When he went up to breakfast, the school annuals were passed out by the Journalism Club to those who paid for them. Colin, ever the overachiever, gave special editions to the Champions, given that Fleur and Viktor wouldn't have thought to order one for themselves, despite the fact they were featured a lot.

"These are brilliant, Colin," said Cedric, flipping through the annual. "I like how you incorporated all of the school clubs and have candid moments included."

"Thanks, Cedric," said Colin. "I'm rooting for Harry, but if you win the Tournament that'd be cool, too."

"Thanks, Colin," said Cedric drily as Hermione led him away.

That seemed to be the general consensus. It'd be great if he won, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he didn't. Good thing his father wasn't around to hear that. The visiting families were staying at Hogsmeade and hadn't shown up at the school yet. The Final Task wouldn't even start until sunset, this whole day was just people saying their goodbyes before they had to leave in the morning.

"Oyé, Viktor," said Hermione. "Sign my annual and I'll sign yours?"

"Like autograph?" he asked.

"Yeah, but it doesn't have to be anybody famous to sign it," she said. "I've never bothered with an annual because I never had friends to sign it."

She took out a sharpie and signed in the corner of the inside cover of his annual: See you this summer! — Herminia.

Cedric took it as well and signed: Have a great summer! — Cedric.

"Ah," said Viktor. "I think I understand." He furrowed his brow. "What should I say?"

"Anything you want."

He nodded and accepted a spare sharpie from Cedric. He signed it and gave it back to her.

Herminia,

Stay cool.

—Viktor

"Nice," she said.

"Viktor Krum's handing out autographs!" someone shouted.

Viktor's eyes widened at the queue that formed within seconds.

"I've got this," said Esperanza, guiding her boyfriend to the empty teacher's table, sitting Viktor down in a random seat near the end. She brought Fleur, Cedric, and Harry as well, setting them up in a row each with a different colored sharpie. "Autograph line!" she shouted. "Have your books at the ready! The Champions' annuals are set up at the end for you to sign once you're done. Please, line up in an orderly fashion and remain patient. You will get your turn and please be aware that you have people behind you so no lingering. If you wanted to talk to them, you should have done it already."

Viktor was used to signing autographs and didn't bother with cute notes. Cedric noticed that he really only wrote out the 'V' while the rest was a scribble with a dot and a dash over what was probably the 'i' and the 't.' He, Fleur, and Harry all got tired halfway through and ended up taking note of how Viktor was autographing.

Cedric ended up using his right hand for the rest of the time since he had practice with it. He had expected people would want him to sign their annual since he was so popular, but this was ridiculous.

Hermione and Esperanza started acting as a cheering squad when it came to the last dozen people, making their friends laugh. After signing the last one, Cedric dropped his sharpie and stretched out his hands.

"Ugh, I think my hands fell asleep," he said. "How do you deal with it, Viktor?"

"It becomes easier," he replied. "If someone came at me with piece of paper, I would just sign my name with no thought. Milo once decided to see if I would sign autograph in sleep."

"Did it work?" Esperanza asked.

Viktor looked down at his feet. "It did."

"Well, you four need to rest up," said Hermione.

"I should really study some," said Cedric, feeling a little sick again.

"No, you need to calm down and rest before this evening," Hermione pressed. "If you study the day of the test, you're less likely to recall it. You've been studying for months, all of you. I bet you could recall anything."

"Well, I just want to be sure," he said. "I want to be ready."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. She was remembering the end of her third year when she went insane studying every second of every day. She didn't want him making the same mistake. He could see that she was scared for him.

Esperanza waved Miguel over and spoke to him.

"Wait here," she said and brought Castelobruxo over for collaboration.

Hermione dragged over a chair so she could sit next to Cedric and rested her head on his shoulder as she flipped through her annual. He loved how she showed affection. He rested his cheek on top of her head and watched as she counted how many times she appeared in the book.

The other Champions just waited to see what Esperanza and Miguel had in store for them.

"Mr. Diggory," said Snape, approaching the teacher's table. "Get out of my chair."

"Do not get out of that chair," said Esperanza, putting on a feathered headdress like one for Carnaval. She placed the tip of her wand at her throat to amplify her voice. "¡Bom dia a todos!, and welcome to a brand new game called: Champions Jeopardy! The only relation to the actual game is the name and the layout of the board."

Miguel and Lafayette held up a giant blue board with categories and dollar amounts. People gathered around to watch the spectacle. At this point the families of the Champions had arrived as well and sat down to watch.

Esperanza passed out blank notecards to each Champion and pens.

"The way the game works," said Esperanza, "is one of you pick a category and an amount. A definition will be read, then each Champion will write the answer to the definition on a notecard and place it face down in front of them. Whoever answers it fastest and correct picks the next category. Let's begin with the following categories: Charms, Hexes, Jinxes, Magizoology, Herbology, Transfiguration, Curse-Breaking, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'll start with the cutest Champion. Viktor, pick a category and an amount."

Viktor blushed and cleared his throat. "Magizoology for… for one hundred."

Esperanza plucked down the card and held it up.

"This African Aves can kill with its cry."

Cedric, Viktor, and Fleur scribbled out their answers and slapped the cards down on the table. Harry wrote his answer down and placed the card in front of him.

"Fleur got it first," said Esperanza. "If she is correct, she picks the next category. Please, raise your cards for the answer."

Everyone answered: Fwooper.

"Fwooper is correct!" said Esperanza. "Everyone gets a point! Fleur, you get two for answering fastest. Your turn to pick a category."

"I choose… Charms for two hundred," said Fleur.

Instead of being stressed from the quizzing, they actually had fun. People were cheering them along. Hermione tallied the points on a conjured chalkboard. Miguel had given her her own feathered Carnaval headdress so she could play along.

Cedric started feeling better when he knew all the answers to these questions even when they seemed obscure or difficult. There were some he had to really think about and only one where he had no clue. Through all this, Cedric avoided looking at his father and, instead, looked at Hermione thinking that she looked cute in the hat. She smiled at him encouragingly and marked another round of points on the board.

When most of the questions were answered, Miguel made a cawing sound and opened a massive peacock fan.

"That is the sound of a sad, gay peacock looking for a mate," said Esperanza. "That means it's time for our final answer."

The Jeopardy board folded down into a 16x20 envelope. She opened it, revealing the final answer.

"The final answer is: This spell brings statues to life in order to defend a building."

Miguel played the Jeopardy theme on a flute for twenty seconds. Cedric furrowed his brow and remembered Professor McGonagall mentioning it once. He scribbled out the answer and placed it face down in front of him. Fleur was next, then Viktor, then Harry.

Esperanza read the answers and studied the tallies, whispering quietly with Hermione. Cedric tried to count them out, but couldn't see around them.

"Okay," said Esperanza. "We will now announce the winner. Drum roll please!"

People patted their legs until she raised a hand. Esperanza took a deep breath and cleaned the board with a swipe of her wand.

"It doesn't matter!" she said. "All of the Champions have proved they are ready for the Task tonight. I think it's time that we relax and play a few games before you start fighting for lasting glory, an empty cup, and a sack full of metal disks. For the next several hours, focus on what you gained in this: Friendship, love, and the knowledge that the people who designed this are the worst!"

"Cheers," said Cedric, raising the empty goblet on the table.

Viktor nodded and broke into a wide smile. "What games do you have in mind?"

Esperanza took his hand. "Do your parents like to play dominoes?"

"Play what?" Mrs. Zdravkov asked.

"Dominoes," Esperanza repeated, taking off her headdress and placing it on Miguel's head.

Miguel cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand.

Cedric hung out with his grandmum, Hermione, her parents, and sister for the rest of the afternoon. During late dinner, Professor Sprout presented a yellow and black jersey for him to wear for the Task.

"Oh, this is great," he said, pulling it on over his t-shirt. "Thank you, Professor."

"No matter what," she said. "You're making your House proud."

Cedric smiled but it was strained, when she left, he rested his cheek in his hand and stared down at his empty plate. What if he lost and they hated him? His father would never be proud of him. He couldn't stand to see that look of disappointment and he certainly wouldn't want to see what he was thinking.

"You should eat," said Manuia.

"I… I'm not hungry," he said.

"You'll need your strength," said Hermione. "I don't want you to pass out."

"I'll be fine."

"Tell you what," said Manuia. "Eat… a few bites of this broccoli, we'll add some butter and salt; one of these rolls, and…" he studied the foods. "Some of this chicken. It's not so much that you'll throw up in case you get hit in the stomach, but you won't faint either. Now, what can I bribe you with to get you to eat that?"

Harry snorted and started laughing, remembering when Hermione did the exact same thing before his first Quidditch match. Cedric sighed and smiled.

"No bribing required," he said, spearing a piece of broccoli on his fork and eating it.

Professor McGonagall gave Harry a similar jersey in red and black, Fleur had a powder blue tracksuit with the Beauxbatons crest on the right side, and Viktor's was a weird shade of beige, borderline yellow. Esperanza hated it and asked to see it. She muttered a little as she inspected the fabric, determining what the blend was. She drew her wand and tapped it then snapped it out. With the sound of a cracking whip, the color changed to a tasteful shade of black. The crimson crest stood out a lot better, too.

"Much better," she said as Viktor put it on.

Cedric had to agree. Whoever chose that shade of beige was seriously disturbed.

"How do you do that?" Beatrice asked. "With the costume changes you would be coveted on West End."

Esperanza lit up and went into her textile engineering techniques. Beatrice hardly understood a word, but was nodding and making affirmative sounds. All of Hermione's parents were like that. They had a way of making a kid feel heard.

Ludo Bagman and Minister Fudge strolled into the Great Hall towards the teacher's table.

"Is that him?" Roger asked. "Bagman?"

"Sure is," said Cedric.

"Parents, attack formation," said Manuia.

The four parents got to their feet, Hana drawing her wand, and approached Bagman and the Minister. Cedric relished in seeing the blood drain from their faces. They probably never faced angry parents before.

"Zaza, what's going on?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," she said. "Reading lip is hard."

The entire Hall gasped as Beatrice slapped Fudge and turned on her heel, leading the way back to Gryffindor table.

"What happened?" Cedric asked, their frustration and anger coming off in waves.

"It's too late to do anything about it," said Beatrice in a mocking tone.

"The affairs of the school are not up to me," continued Roger in a similar tone.

"Muggles such as yourselves should not worry about things you cannot understand," said Manuia, rolling his eyes.

"Honestly," said Hana, raising her voice a little. "Wizards act like No-Majs are helpless children who don't know anything. And yet every wizard I ever met who has never had contact with No-Majs can't even figure out how a toaster works."

Cedric flushed and avoided eye contact. He did, in fact, have no idea how a toaster worked when he first came across one.

"You can't judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree," said Manuia, nodding. "You can't judge a No-Maj for not knowing something which has been hidden from society."

"Amen," said Hermione and Amalea.

"Hey, Cedric!" said Daven, coming by with several Hufflepuffs. "You all pumped up?"

"I can't wait to see what's in that maze," said Aiden. "I hope those automatons are in it!"

"Maybe they'll put in real dragons!"

As his housemates talked, Cedric felt his stomach churn. He pressed his fingers to his mouth and breathed heavily.

"Are you okay, Cedric?" Manuia asked.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and Gentlethems," said Dumbledore. "The Final Task will begin in two hours, I suggest you all make your way to the former Dragon Arena in an hour. We will be doing a final check of the maze."

"DRAGONS?!" Beatrice shrieked, snapping her attention to Bagman and the Minister as they left the Great Hall.

Both men quivered and ran off just as Roger wrapped his arms around his wife's waist.

"Calm down, darling," he said. "We'll do this rationally. Write to the other parents and demand the right to know what goes on at the school."

"You are so much like both of them," said Cedric to Hermione. "I see traits in you from all your parents."

She smiled up at him. "Just a few more hours." The implication was clear.

"Yeah, we got the boat all ready to go," said Manuia, ruffling Cedric's hair.

"You will do wonderful, Habibi," said Basira. "You have your mother's tenacity."

Amos strode forward and wrapped an arm around Cedric, pushing Manuia out of the way. Manuia muttered something about beef and lingered close.

"It's almost time, Cedric," said Amos. "Just keep calm, remember everything you learned. Make me proud, son."

A taut line snapped through Cedric's brain.

"What do you think I've been doing?" he growled, whirling around and stopping dead. "I have been breaking my back trying to please you. Prefect, Quidditch Captain, single-handedly winning the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup with Viktor Krum on the opposing team! If I get that stupid trophy will you finally say you're proud of me?!"

Everyone fell silent, eyes wide with surprise at the outburst. Amos particularly so and that just made Cedric angrier. And then he saw in his father's eyes the reason for all of this. The reason why he, Cedric, could never please Amos no matter what he did.

"Fine," he said. "If that's what it takes, then I'll die trying."

He turned and stormed out, not slowing down as he made his way to the Dragon's Arena.

"Cedric," Hermione called. "Wait!"

He looked over his shoulder, she waved her family off and fell into step beside him.

"I am so done," he said. "If I could, I would forfeit."

"No, you wouldn't."

"You're right, I wouldn't," he said. "I want this so much and I hate that I do."

"Well, win or lose," said Hermione, taking his hand. "You've got a whole bunch of people to lift you up. I'm proud of you for all that you've done."

"I know you are," he said. "I just… I just want him to be proud of me… just once, I want to hear those words. And he can't even say them under pressure from those around him. I know why now."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because he doesn't think I'm his," he said, wrapping his arms around his stomach. "He read my mum's diary, thinks the timing around my birth is suspicious. She leaves France, breaking off an engagement then suddenly reunites with him? He thinks I'm actually Bastien's son."

"What, just because you both have black hair and grey eyes?" she said incredulously. "A lot of people have brown hair and brown eyes, but that doesn't mean I'm related to them."

"I know, but my parents only got married because my mum got pregnant with me," he sighed. "I'm tired. I'm so tired, Hermione."

"Well, by this time next week you'll be on the beach getting a tan," she said.

"The farm is mine, you know," he said. "If I don't win… I could sell it, sell the livestock. Give the house to jidha. Or just pack up the important things and put it in my vault. Amos can go wherever, I don't care. I'm seventeen. Only got one year of school left."

"You can live with us for the summer," said Hermione, knowing full well how much he did care.

Cedric felt a bit better. Deep down, he knew that it wasn't going to be that simple, but having an outline of a plan made him feel better. Hermione was satisfied, too. In her mind it was simple. Just do this and that and things will be alright. That's always been her mindset even when things were complicated. Set goals without worrying what happened in between. If the problem was big, set smaller goals. Perhaps that's what made her so tenacious.

The Dragon's Arena looked bigger than last time. It wasn't just the schools and the parents. People from all over had gathered to watch this. A band was warming up and Filch was manning a cannon.

Cedric stood with Hermione in the grassy area in front of the maze. A chilly wind was coming from the opening and the inside looked dark and foreboding.

"You're shaking," Hermione murmured, resting a hand on his wrist.

"I'll be okay," he said. "Just nerves."

Hermione hugged him tightly. He pressed his face into her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. She changed it to green apple. He liked it.

"Be safe," she said.

"As you wish," he murmured.

Hermione stretched up on her toes, kissed him lightly, then left to go sit with her family, squeezing Harry's shoulder as she passed.

Cedric took a deep breath and stood next to the other Champions. Viktor had a lipstick stain on his cheek, which Karkaroff wiped away.

"Get that lovesick smile off your face," he hissed. "You are here to win, not get your head filled with more mud than it already has."

Viktor frowned and glared at him as he left.

"What an ass," Cedric muttered.

"You have no idea," said Viktor, crossing his arms. "To him, anyone who is not him is thick as rock."

"If you weren't smart you wouldn't have been chosen," he replied. "So, where are you and Esperanza heading first?"

"Bulgaria," he said. "I have Quidditch and she said she understands about my job."

"Where is Bulgaria?" Cedric asked. "Near… Greece?"

"Da," Viktor nodded. "People tend to guess near Russia, but it is by Romania, Greece, and Turkey."

"Sounds nice."

"It is nice," he said.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said Professor McGonagall to the champions. "If you get into trouble, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"

Ludo Bagman took his place at the announcer's desk but remained standing so he could address the massive crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the third and final task is about to begin! Let me remind you of the scores as they stand. Currently tied for first place with 102 points each: Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory both from Hogwarts!" Cheers and applause exploded from the crowd scaring everything in the Forbidden Forest for miles.

"So … on the cannon, Harry and Cedric. Begin!"

BOOM!

The two boys entered the maze and once they were fifteen feet in, the hedges closed behind them and the cheers were silenced so suddenly it was alarming. Like walking into what you believe is an empty house and hearing a loud noise. Cedric took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky, noticing crystals that would project what was happening to the crowd. Better not look stupid. He gave it a weak smile.

"I go right and you go left?" Harry asked once they reached a fork.

Cedric nodded. "Good luck, Harry."

"Good luck, Cedric."

They turned and headed in opposite directions. The maze was too quiet and Cedric suddenly wished he and Hermione hadn't watched all those scary movies over the past few years. Silence of the Lambs … The Thing … Alien … Merlin, Morgana, and Gandalf, the Shining had a maze in it and the book had hedge animals that came to life and attacked you.

"Keep it together," he muttered to himself and rounded the corner.

Two Blast-Ended Skrewts were waiting for him. He could see their glowering eyes on their sides and double ended tails rather than pinchers. They hissed and scuttled around waving their scorpion-like tails about. Cedric raised his wand.

"Bombarda!"

Dammit, their armor was impervious to magic! Angered, the Skrewts fired some of the lava-like poison out of their rear-ends at him, catching the hedges behind him on fire. However, the hedges rippled and consumed the fire leaving no trace.

Almost as if he were on auto-pilot, he ducked and dodged before dead dropping to the ground. As the Blast-Ended Skrewts reared up, he fired two spells in quick succession at their soft underbellies and they exploded.

"Ugh, yuck!" he groaned, wiping some of the gook off his cheek. "Tergeo."

So much for looking the part of Champion. Everyone was probably laughing at him.

He kept moving after that and wondered if he was headed in the right direction. Was the center of the maze a fixed point or was it unplottable and therefore impossible to find until you were in the right place at the right time? Perhaps if he was going towards the most dangerous stuff he'd be closer…

"No pare, sigue, sigue," he murmured, knowing that Hermione was probably screaming it at the top of her lungs. He muttered it to himself over and over like a mantra.

Don't stop. Go. Go.

Viktor and Fleur were probably in the maze by now. He wondered how they were faring and if they were as freaked out as he was.

He reached another obstacle and found himself face-to-face with an acromantula. It sputtered and clicked its pincers at him. Exclaiming in disgust, he raised his wand.

"Arania Exumai! Bombarda!"

Like the Blast-Ended Skrewts, the Acromantula exploded, splattering his legs. Ugh… After all this, he was going to take a four hour bath and nobody could stop him.

Cedric passed through and noticed a large, white sac attached to the wall. On instinct, he fired a spell at it which turned out to be a huge mistake. As soon as it landed, the sac opened and hundreds of acromantulas the size of chihuahuas poured out. Feeling rather faint, he raised his wand and shouted, "Lacarnum Inflamari!" lighting the whole section on fire. He turned tail and ran through the maze, bumping into Fleur along the way.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you," he said, pointing his thumb behind him. "Room full of nightmares."

"Thank you for the tip," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.

They both went their separate ways. Cedric broke into a run, determined to reach the Cup, even if he barfed up a lung along the way.

"Point Me," he breathed to his wand. It spun around and back and forth but didn't steady. The magic of the maze must have been manipulating any sense of direction and Astronomy wasn't his best subject which was why he dropped that course. He reached a small opening and a creature growled at him. It had the body of a lion, a goat's head protruding from the side, and a venomous snake's head for a tail.

Chimaera!

It charged roaring, hissing, and bleating. Cedric fired several cutting hexes and dodged it, but wasn't nearly fast enough. The snake head tripped him knocking him on his back. It's head reared ready to strike.

"Hashah!" Cedric hissed. The snake paused and looked at him. Shit, what was it that Harry said two years ago? He had to try. "Sayah shaheath seheth!"

The snake backed away but Cedric forgot about the lion and cried out in pain when it swiped at his leg. He scrambled away and raised his wand.

"Flipendo Tria!"

A small tornado emitted from his wand and flung the Chimaera away and into the shrubbery. As he predicted, the shrubbery swallowed up the creature. It roared and thrashed, trying to claw its way out. Feeling bad for the creature, Cedric swallowed hard and kept running, ignoring the throbbing ache in his leg. Left, left, dead end. Big monster. Right, left, left, right, dead end. Cursed door. Were the hedges moving and pushing him away to danger or was the worst danger protecting the cup?

He entered a clearing at the same time as Viktor. Instead of hedges, it had high walls of stone, flanked by statues, and in the middle was a crystal clear pool of water. Their only ways were to go back, or try to pass through a large stone archway.

Viktor had a cut on his cheek and was already covered with dirt and sweat.

"How's it going, mate?" Cedric asked, hugging the stitch in his side.

"Just fine, bro," he replied. "You?"

"Oh, you know," he said, looking around. "This is the third worst day of my life."

"I know the feeling," said Viktor. "Strangely though, I don't want to quit."

"Same." Cedric huffed a laugh. "I am going to sleep for a whole week when this is over."

"Or you can sleep now," said a sweet voice.

The two boys turned to see an ethereal woman straight out of a fantasy movie. She had moonlight skin, hair shinier than Fleur's, and what Hermione called a Photoshop body. Whatever Photoshop was.

"It's okay to take a rest," she said, resting her hands on Cedric's chest.

He exchanged a look with Viktor and said, "They must think we're really stupid if we fall for this."

"Only man who thinks with wand would fall for this," Viktor replied.

"You don't want to take just a moment?" another girl asked.

"You are… naiads?" Viktor asked, shrugging off the hands of another one.

"I think if they were they'd be feeling some type of emotion," said Cedric, dancing out of the way of another. "Ladies, you all seem very nice but we'd like to move on. Do you… I don't know… have a riddle?"

"A vague direction?" Viktor asked.

"Do you not find us beautiful?" said the third, batting her eyes. They all looked nearly identical and they all seemed to know Occlumency.

"You're pretty," said Cedric. "But I'm in a committed relationship and I have a trophy to get."

Viktor nodded and the pair of them walked towards the stone archway. Cedric readied his wand and whipped around just in time for the beautiful women to turn into hideous creatures with skinny bodies, elongated fingers, and vacant eyes.

"Ohhh, shit!" Cedric shouted.

Viktor uttered the same sentiment and cast a spell, the jet of red light blasting one of them back into the hedges where it was swallowed up amongst the leaves.

Two more crawled out of the water, screeching and circling around them. Cedric stood back-to-back with the Bulgarian and looked around them.

"Got a plan?" Cedric asked.

"Fight like hell and make a break for it?" Viktor suggested.

"Sounds like a plan!" Cedric readied his wand. "Stupefy!"

"Confundus!"

"Expulso!"

"Depulso!"

"Locomotor Mortis!"

Viktor and Cedric moved around each other and fought as if they'd been practicing together all their lives. However, it started to feel all for naught. The monsters were still crawling out of the water.

"Know a whirlpool spell?" Cedric asked.

"Da!"

"Remember it?"

"Of course!" Viktor waved his wand. "Charybdis!"

The water made a weird sound and started spiraling down, the creatures screamed as they were sucked back into the pond.

"Hold on!" Viktor shouted, conjuring a knife and sticking it into the ground.

Cedric was pulled off his feet, stopped by Viktor grabbing his shirt.

"Can you stop this?" he shouted, looking up. Viktor had his wand between his teeth and was holding onto the knife and Hufflepuff for dear life.

"Guess not!" Cedric drew his wand.

The ground shook and Viktor lost his grip.

"Ingelasco!" Cedric shouted.

They collided with the whirlpool, sprang out like they were on a trampoline, and dropped hard on the ground. Cedric coughed a little and rolled onto his side.

"Jelly curse?" Viktor asked, wiping his wand on his sleeve.

"Worked didn't it?" he said. "Think we can finally pass?"

Viktor looked up and his jaw dropped. Cedric saw two of the statues of male warriors from different parts of the world had broken away from the wall and guarded all exits.

"OH, COME ON!" Cedric shouted.

Viktor looked at him and grinned. "Bet I can destroy them faster."

"Oh, you're on!" said Cedric. "Reducto!" One of the statues of a knight was obliterated. "That's one!"

Once again they fought until the last statue was reduced to rubble.

"Holy shit, mate!" said Cedric. "We just dominated this!"

Viktor laughed and walked with him through the stone archway.

"That was awesome how you made that whirlpool!"

"I honestly would not have thought of jelly as counter-curse!"

"Where did you even learn that spell?"

"I make it up!"

"No way!"

Viktor froze.

"What's wrong?" Cedric asked.

A grayish film came over Viktor's eyes. Looking directly into them, Cedric could hear the whisper of an order.

"End all Champions except for Potter. Yourself included."

"Whoa, Viktor, you're stronger than this!" Cedric shouted.

Viktor's thoughts flickered but he couldn't fight it. Cedric could see them being frozen, the one order being his only thought. The boy glared and raised his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Cedric shouted.

Viktor internally fought once more, allowing himself to be disarmed. However, the voice became more insistent.

"He's imperiused!" Cedric shouted, looking at the crystals. "Imperius!" He switched to sign. "Esperanza! Viktor is I-M-P-E-R—"

Viktor tackled him to the ground. Cedric scrambled away. He could almost hear Bagman's voice shouting out the play-by-play.

It seems Krum has gone wild! Guess the Bulgarian Bon-Bon has a competitive side!

Viktor grabbed Cedric, grasping for his wand. So, Cedric threw it out of his reach and blocked Viktor's punches. Shit, how did he get out of this again?

"Viktor! Stop! Think of Esperanza!"

He grabbed the sides of Viktor's head.

"Snap out of it!"

A sharp jolt went through the boy's head as the intrusive voice was removed. His eyes went back to normal and he looked down at Cedric.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You went ballistic," said Cedric, breaking into a teasing smile. "Even tried to kiss me. Sorry, mate, but I've got a girlfriend."

Viktor stood up and helped Cedric to his feet, both parting to fetch their wands.

"What happened really?" he asked.

"Bagman is more bad than we could've imagined," said Cedric. "He's the one rigging everything. He tried to imperius you into taking out me and then Fleur and then yourself."

"How do you know it's Bagman?" Viktor asked.

Cedric looked up at the crystals and leaned close to Viktor, whispering in his ear, "I'm a legilimens. I saw into your head and there's no way you think in English without translating. It sounded exactly. Like. Bagman."

"What do we do?" Viktor asked.

"Keep fighting," he said. "I think we're on our own. If none of the teachers had come, you know Esperanza or Hana would instead."

He sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"Should… should we go our separate ways or fight together?" Cedric asked.

"For the sake of sticking it to everyone?" said Viktor, holding out his hand. "Fight together."

Cedric grinned and slapped his hand against Viktor's hand punctuating it with a fist bump.

"Alright, teaming up!" he said.

The pair of them looked up at the two crystals and each raised a middle finger, not caring how it looked or what the reaction would be.

"Okay," said Cedric. "Left?"

"Left," Viktor agreed.

They fought through several obstacles together. Cancelled a curse on a door, faced a mud-creature straight out of Alien, and battled a snake-leopard.

Another pool crossed their path and across it was the Triwizard Cup! It glowed, bright blue just thirty feet away.

"Aw, yes!" said Cedric. "We did it!"

"Ha! Finally!" said Viktor.

They paused and looked down into the pool to see what it contained. Something wiggled in the depths, fat and grubby…. Oh, you've got to be kidding.

"Flobberworms?" said Cedric, laughing. "Seriously?"

Viktor held up a hand.

"There's something I don't like about this," he said. "I seem to remember Esperanza saying these things had no teeth on land."

Cedric furrowed his brow, then tore off a bit of his sleeve on his right arm and tossed it into the water. The Flobberworms burbled to the surface mimicking a boiling cauldron as they went full piranha on the sleeve.

"Oh, hell no!" Cedric shouted, "No. No. No. I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS SHIT!" he paced back and forth a few times until Viktor stopped him.

"It's okay, bro," he said. "You say this to everyone else, I am saying it to you. Deep breaths. We're almost there. We take cup together."

"Okay," said Cedric. "Okay. I'm cool. I'm fine."

"Jelly charm?" Viktor suggested.

"Yeah. Running start, ready?"

He nodded and they took off, both casting the charm at the same time. They bounced and landed on the ground, releasing relieved laughs.

Cedric looked up and found himself face-to-face with a hedge.

"NO!" he shouted.

Viktor cursed and pounded his fist against the ground.

"It's fucking rigged," said Cedric. "He wants Harry to win and I don't know why. This can't just be about monetary debt."

Viktor jumped to his feet and began signing to the crystals, alerting Esperanza. Neither knew if those crystals were even transmitting anymore, acting more like a false sense of security.

Cedric sat back on his legs and took some slow breaths. Everything felt like it was closing in on him. Viktor sat down behind him so their backs were together.

"So, what do we do?" Viktor asked. "Forfeit… or die trying to finish?"

"Eh, fuck it," said Cedric, casting a charm and splashing some cold water on his face. He was too proud to quit. "Let's just finish this and let the Sanchez family sort out the rest. That's the great thing about them. They don't have to do these things, but they want to."

"I can't wait to officially meet them," said Viktor. "I hope they like me."

"Of course they will," said Cedric. "You're not a creep, you're not an asshole, and you make Esperanza really happy, they're going to love you. Manuia likes you and everyone trusts his opinion."

He got to his feet, turned, and helped Viktor.

"Come on, Viktor," he said. "Let's finish this. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll get spat out back at the entrance of the maze."

"If only, if only."

They kept walking. Left, right, right, left, bend, right, forward, until they reached a new space, Fleur and Harry approached the area looking no less banged up. Fleur was sporting a nasty cut on her forehead and her pant leg was singed. Harry had similar injuries, as well as scratches, and a coating of grime.

"Viktor and I called a truce," said Cedric. "This whole thing's rigged."

"How do you know?" Fleur asked.

"Someone tried to imperius me," said Viktor. "Tried to get me to hurt you. Cedric stopped me."

"I think Bagman is behind it," said Cedric. "We tried signing to Esperanza using the crystals, but…" he looked up at the four crystals overhead, "we're not sure if they're actually working."

"If they were," said Harry. "Wouldn't some of the teachers have come to rescue us?"

"Maybe they can't enter unless someone casts vermillious," said Cedric.

"You first," Fleur challenged.

Cedric pursed his lips and looked down at his wand. He could already see his dad yelling at him, lamenting over the fact that his son was a spineless coward who quit when things got difficult. A bastard who was lucky to even be allowed the attic in a grand home and who would be stuck mucking horse shit for the rest of his life.

"I just want this to be over," he said. "But I also don't want to let everyone down."

"You've done enough, Cedric," said Fleur.

"Not for my father." He laughed wryly. "Oh no, not even getting an Order of Merlin was enough for him, why did I ever think this would? Fleur, my mum had a relationship with your parents for several years and my father resents me for it, because he's got it in his head that I'm not his. That you're my half-sister, but it isn't true. I know it isn't."

Viktor patted Cedric's shoulder.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

A dark shape crept down the row that led forward for them.

"Kill circle!" Cedric shouted, drawing his wand.

It shifted around, unable to find a shape, and the four Champions grouped together. It might've been like the sea serpent…

"It's a boggart," said Harry. "I think."

"It can't be…" Cedric whispered.

With fear and anxiety running high, it was difficult for any of them to want to step forward and take care of it so they could move on. Whatever it was sensed this and morphed into a human shape that seemed to model after everyone yet no one at all. Their face split in two and their chest opened. Extra, mutated appendages sprouted until it was just an ugly mass straight out of The Thing. It shrieked and vomited a pea green sludge at them. Cedric getting the brunt of it.

The slime had to be after him personally.

All four of them screamed and scrambled to run away, tripping and falling over each other.

A long, tentacle-like appendage grabbed Viktor by the ankle and dragged him back towards the mutated boggart. He screamed and scrabbled at the grass, his wand left behind. Both Harry and Cedric stopped and grabbed onto Viktor's arms hoping to pull him free. Their heels dragged up dirt and grass as they struggled to stay standing. Fleur was already gone and no one could blame her for saving herself.

Viktor screamed as the extreme pressure dislocated his leg from his hip. Harry and Cedric let go before the limb was ripped off completely and drew their wands.

"Deprimo!"

All the creature did was scream and spit blood everywhere while flailing angrily. Viktor was flung over the hedges out of sight, his crystal zooming after him. Harry and Cedric turned tail and ran with the Thing following in hot pursuit. They fired spells over their shoulders and ran together, too terrified to split up.

After several turns, the angry screeching died down and the two boys slowed down to catch their breath.

"Why did they let me do this?" Harry wondered aloud, hardly able to see through his glasses.

Cedric shrugged helplessly and cleaned the slime off their faces.

"I'd like to know what something like that was doing here," Harry said. "That was not a boggart."

"No shit," said Cedric his patience lost. "I can't wait to get my hands on the bastards who set up this maze."

"I think you'll have to wait behind Esperanza for hurting her bomboncito," Harry joked, still finding his humor in the midst of chaos.

They walked for a minute, needing to recoup before they could go back to competing. Both considered firing the red sparks and letting Fleur win but they also had too much pride and vanity to quit.

Red sparks flew in the air above the maze.

Fleur.

"I suppose it's just you and me," said Harry.

Cedric nodded. "Good luck, Harry."

"Good luck, Cedric."

They paused when they reached a golden fog which drifted silently behind an invisible barrier. The two boys stared at it curiously. Tentatively, Cedric held his hand out and touched it, jerking it back with a cry of pain. It was like he stuck his hand in a pot of boiling water. He looked at his blistered skin and groaned before dousing it with a water spell which only made the pain worse.

"At least it wasn't your wand hand," said Harry.

"Yeah, good thing," Cedric muttered, glaring at his skin which was turning redder and rawer by the second.

He couldn't dwell on it long, for the Thing rounded the corner and screeched angrily.

To increase their horror, the fog began to leak out, past the barrier. Cedric, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste, ran. He had never run so fast in his life and Harry was keeping a good pace.

Not daring to look back, they just sprinted through the maze, too afraid to split up. Right, Left, Left, Right, Left, Forward, Right. There!

At the end of a long path, the Triwizard Cup stood at the top of a pedestal like a beautiful blue beacon. An image of everyone cheering for him and looking at him with respect and admiration popped in Cedric's head. This would be a Victory for Hufflepuff for the ages! Quidditch Cup winners, House Cup winners, and a Hufflepuff would be the Triwizard Champion for the first reboot. His dad wouldn't have any reason to criticize him. Hermione was beaming and gazing at him, confirming her belief that he was the smartest, bravest, most talented wizard. Once he grabbed that, the teachers would apparate in and rescue them from the Thing.

Forcing his feet to move faster, Cedric tore down the path. As soon as he grabbed that trophy he would turn around and save Harry.

"Wait!"

Harry grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him back before he could fall over the edge of a cliff. Panting heavily, Cedric looked over the steep drop-off into a vat of nothingness that sucked away any light from the nearly full moon, then back to the Triwizard Cup which stood on a floating pedestal.

"Bloody hell…" he breathed and looked at Harry. "You just saved my life…"

"You would've done the same for me," said Harry, wiping sweat from his brow.

They looked back and knew there was no other way. This was the end of the line. Cedric looked back at the gap.

"Together," he said, swallowing his pride. "We're both Hogwarts, so we'll win as Hogwarts. I'll go first and I swear on my life I'll catch you. I'm not leaving you behind to face those things."

"What are you doing?" Harry asked.

Cedric backed away from the ledge and took a running start. He leapt off the edge and grabbed onto the pedestal. He slid a bit and landed on an edge that jutted out into a platform. As he turned around, he saw the Thing advancing.

"Jump, Harry!" Cedric shouted, holding out his uninjured hand and gripping his wand in his right. "I'll catch you."

Harry took a few deep breaths and jumped. His shorter legs didn't carry him as far, but Cedric did as he promised and caught the boy. He quickly hauled him onto the platform and took a deep breath, holding it as the Thing stopped on the edge.

It screeched agitatedly but was quickly consumed by the gold fog, disintegrating as if it was made of tissue paper. Cedric and Harry looked at each other and laughed.

"We did it!" said Harry, looking up at the Cup which was just a few feet above their heads.

Cedric sighed with relief. "I'll just be glad when this is over. I think I'm going to need a vacation."

"Use your cut of the prize, eh?" said Harry.

"Yeah. You?"

"I don't know. Sirius and I will probably go somewhere. I hope it's Santa Fe. I've always wanted to go there."

They grinned at each other and looked back at the trophy. Cedric held his hand close to one handle and Harry did the same.

"One… two… three!"

They each grabbed onto a handle of the Triwizard Cup. A familiar pull came at Cedric's middle and he found himself in a miniature tornado. Finally, they spun to a stop. Harry fell down, but being used to that sort of travel, Cedric remained standing. He peered around yet the nearly full moon was shrouded by clouds and large trees. Feeling a pit of dread, he tightened his grip on his wand. He and Harry lit up their wands and found themselves in a cemetery.

"Is this part of the Final Task?" Cedric asked uncertainly.

"D'you hear that?" said a voice like a rusty saw. "He thinks this is all part of the Final Task."

Cedric whirled around and saw a wild looking man in tattered robes, his teeth purposely sharpened to points as well as his nails. Several hooded figures crept their way into the clearing.

"We have to get back to the Cup," said Harry urgently. "Now!"

Before either could move, a high, raspy voice came from the center of it all.

"Do as you wish with the spare."

"Orbis!" The nearest wizard sank into the ground. Cedric began casting every spell he knew.

"Diffindo! Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Confundo! Aqua Eructo! Frio!

Cedric grabbed Harry by the hand and ran for the portkey.

"Accio—"

"Crucio!"

Both boys collapsed to the ground screaming and writhing in pain. It was as if every single nerve was iced over then suddenly exposed to extreme heat. All of his organs suddenly seemed to have been replaced with molten lava yet his lungs felt like he inhaled a thousand needles added with the worst case of bronchitis.

The curse was lifted, leaving them feeling as if their limbs were made of lead. Harry's body was dragged away and he was strapped down to a headstone with a grim reaper clutching onto it, its wings frighteningly massive.

Whimpering in pain, Cedric shakily stood up so he could get his wand. He managed to make it a few feet before he was immediately tackled to the ground. Inhumanly sharp claws dug into his shoulder and raked down his arm and back. His left hand desperately grasping in vain for his wand.

"Silence!"

A dirty rag was shoved into Cedric's mouth, and whoever had him pinned down grasped a fistful of hair and lifted his head up so fast, pain shot through his neck.

A cauldron lit up in the center of the clearing and a small bundle could be seen on the steps. Two people who looked more like they were half orc busied themselves with whatever was bubbling inside.

The wrapped up bundle on the step stirred more and more restlessly. All Cedric could hear was the heavy breathing above him and the sound of the wizards working quickly on the cauldron. It heated very fast and whatever was inside was beginning to bubble, froth, and glow a sickly green color. A tall, gangly wizard reached down for the bundle.

It was as though he had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly, slimy, and blind but worse, a hundred times worse. The thing he had been carrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that [Cedric] had never seen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face— no child alive ever had a face like that flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes. (GoF, 640).

Cedric felt bile rise up in his mouth as he watched an ancient and sickening ritual be performed. Eventually, the tall man raised his arm above the cauldron and sliced off his own hand with little more than a grimace. The cauldron glowed a bright red, shooting little wisps of steam twisting around the circle. He could see stones in the light, revealing that the whole section was an arcane ritual circle.

Harry screamed in pain as a wickedly sharp knife was dug into his forearm.

No! Cedric struggled to break free, but all that did was make the claws dig in deeper. Adrenaline running high, his vision blurred and pulsed around the edges. His pounding heart tried to escape through his throat.

He felt sick to his stomach as sickly green light flashed around the cemetery. Lord Voldemort had risen again. He didn't want to believe it. His father never did, but Mum always said that it could be possible. Especially considering what he saw two years ago in the Chamber.

Voldemort stood there, examining his body and frowning slightly as if something surprised him. His hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits like a cat's, gleamed still more brightly through the darkness. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers, his expression rapt and exultant. He took not the slightest notice of The Tall Man who knelt, bleeding at his feet (though more in reverence than pain), nor of the great snake, which had slithered into sight and was circling Harry, hissing. Voldemort slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a deep pocket and drew out a wand. He caressed it gently too; then he raised it and pointed it at the hooded figure flinging him back against the headstone. Voldemort grabbed the wrist of the nearest person and dug his wand into their forearm.

With several loud cracks like thunder nearly a dozen hooded figures appeared in the clearing.

"It was so difficult to get our plan through," Voldemort said to them. "The only man I could get on the inside was you, Bagman, merely to put Harry's name in the Goblet and skew the odds in his favor. You're lucky Potter got to the trophy first after the kidnapping attempts failed. You are pathetic. Driven only by fear of the powerful and those filthy goblins. The rest of you, driven into hiding by cowardice. Denying your allegiance and hoping you could escape my wrath by pretending I was truly dead. Had the Carrows not come looking for me, I might have never been found. And Lucius—" he swept towards one masked figure— "You… you have proven yourself loyal for releasing the basilisk upon Hogwarts and for locating the whereabouts of my wand from Pettigrew while in Azkaban."

"I will remain loyal to the end, Master," said Lucius Malfoy, eyes gleaming behind the mask. "I merely claimed imperius so I could—"

"Enough excuses!" Voldemort hissed. He made his way over to Cedric and pushed on his face with the ball of his foot. Growling, Cedric spat out the rag and bit him.

"Insolent beast!" They made brief eye contact and Cedric knew that if Voldemort had his way he'd be dead.

"Get away from him!" Harry shouted.

"It is most fortunate that Mr. Crouch was able to get rid of that Ex-Auror Mad-Eye. Had he been there, he would have been able to stop us from taking out the spares. As we agreed," Voldemort continued speaking to the wild man yet barely sparing him a glance. "While I finish off Potter, you may do with him as you wish. After all, who would believe a werewolf?"

Werewolf?! Shouting protests, Cedric was flipped onto his back and held down, no longer able to see what was going on between Voldemort and Harry. Now, he was left to face two of Fenrir Greyback's pack members.

"Mr. Greyback sends his regards," the second man said, leaning over Cedric. "Likes that work that your bitch is doing—oh, no we don't mean the offensive term—no, the thing he doesn't like about those nifty little shelf-life potions is that we lose all aggression. No chance to turn anybody when all you want is muggle food."

"Mr. Greyback also doesn't care for the things your dear old dad was saying about werewolves," the first man sneered.

"Wonder if he'd change his tune with his own son being a werewolf."

But it wasn't the full moon!

"You seem like a nice kid and none of us asked for this life, but a message needs to be made here. Starting with this." Two claws were raked across Cedric's face and blood immediately blossomed. He could barely register the pain until the skin was already split and blood streamed down his face and into one of his eyes.

Cedric felt sharpened teeth sink into his shoulder. He sucked in a sharp breath yet couldn't make a sound. His pain receptors shut down. The one who didn't have his sharpened teeth in Cedric's already injured shoulder began to chant. He then drove his wand into the boy's open wound. Cedric writhed on the ground in vain. He could hear Voldemort speaking to Harry, coaxing him into a duel.

"Now, here's the kicker," said Werewolf Two. "To complete the curse you need silver and dittany. If you don't do that, you won't transform, but you will bleed out and die."

They stepped back and apparated out. Cedric shuddered and rolled onto his side, coughing. He could see Harry and Voldemort in a face-off. For a brief and awe-inspiring moment, ghosts of Harry's loved ones appeared from the clash of their two spells. And, to his surprise, one flew towards him.

"Mum…" he whispered.

"I can only be here for a moment," she said. "You need to find your last bit of strength and make it to that Portkey."

"Mum, I—"

"I'm proud of you, lamby," she said. "Find your strength. I'll help you along. I hope I don't see you again for a very long time."

Crawling over to his wand, Cedric snatched it up with his injured right hand so he could steady himself with his uninjured arm and fired off a Confundus at Voldemort, the spirit of his mother guiding it. The wizard flew back, breaking contact and the ghosts flew around, blinding nearly everyone.

"Sanguinem! Sectumsempra interiori!"

One of the Death Eaters fired a spell at Harry, causing a purple light to pass through him. Harry looked surprised for an instant before collapsing onto his back.

"NO!" Voldemort cried. "Potter is mine!"

A new surge of strength rushing through him, Cedric scrambled over to Harry's body and pointed his wand at the Triwizard Cup.

"Accio Portkey!"

He turned his wand to Barty Crouch Jr. at the last second.

"Stupefy! Carpe Retractum!"

The portkey hit Cedric's chest and he, Barty, and Harry were instantly transported to the front of the maze. The crowd erupted into cheers and a band began to play, but it may as well have been underwater for all he could hear.

Harry writhed on the ground as nearly black blood foamed into scarlet bubbles at his mouth and dripped from his eyes and nose. Confusion erupted as Professor McGonagall intercepted Barty Crouch Jr. The band halted and the crowd hushed.

"He's back!" Cedric shouted, his voice echoing through the arena. "Voldemort's back!"

"Move!" Sirius demanded, pushing forward. "That's my godson!"

"Is that… Barty Crouch Jr.?" Fudge gasped upon seeing the third and unexpected wizard. "Quick! Take him away! GET THE DEMENTORS!"

Cedric collapsed to his side feeling unnaturally cold and was vaguely aware of how much he was bleeding. If something didn't happen soon he was going to die.

Sirius released a heart-wrenching wail as he cradled Harry to his chest and rocked back and forth. The boy was shuddering as his body shut down from the curse. Healers rushed in, wands raised.

Professor Lupin knelt down next to Cedric, his eyes wide.

"Greyback," Cedric croaked, shivering violently as his body went to shock. "H-help me… I don't want to die."

"Madam Pomfrey!" Lupin yelled. "I need silver and dittany!"

"Cedric," Amos shouted, kneeling down next to his son. "Oh, my boy… what have they done to you?"

"Back off!" Basira screeched. "He's dying and now you suddenly care for him?"

"Look at what yer bloody tournament did!" Hagrid bellowed angrily at Fudge. "LOOK AT WHAT YEH DID!"

The crowd clamored over one another, some pressing forward to get a better look, and others trying to pull the younger ones away from the scene. People were screaming and crying as they saw Harry and Cedric's bodies. Healers were pulled between the Champions and more apparated into the Arena.

"What's happening?" Hermione cried. Her voice sounded far away, but through his blurred vision Cedric saw the outline of her hair. Her hand cradled his face, her thumb stroking his cheek. He leaned into her touch as shudders ran down the length of his body.

Professor Lupin knelt down with a bottle of dittany and a bottle of liquid silver.

"Cedric has been cursed with an ancient spell that will turn him into a werewolf," he said. "He's in a catch-22: if we give him the silver and dittany it will complete the transformation and if we don't, he'll bleed out and die."

"Give him the bloody mix then!" Hermione shouted.

"You are not turning my son into one of those monsters!" Amos shouted, pushing Professor Lupin back.

"Dad… please…" Cedric begged. "Help me…"

"We aren't letting him die!" Hermione shrieked with the fury of a banshee and tackled Amos so Professor Lupin could pour drops of the dittany/silver mixture over the boy's wounds.

The bleeding stopped but the pain returned.

"I can't feel my arm," Cedric moaned and looked down. His right hand was all black and twisted, heavy like a lead weight.

"You'll be okay," Hermione promised, returning to him and running her fingers through his hair, propping his head up with her free hand. She rested her forehead against his. "We'll get you to the hospital and you'll be okay. Please, stay awake. Don't go where I can't follow."

One-by-one, it felt as if the strings keeping his body in some semblance of sitting up were cut. His head lolled back and he looked up at his father whose face was twisted with emotions.

"I did it, Dad," he whispered as his vision surged into a vertiginous darkness. "I won."

To be continued…

Edit: It's continued under This is Why