Sky had dismissed the meeting far too early. He told them to get some rest. Mitch declined under his breath, and set out to find his buddy. A soldier had come into his room later on that night to report that Seto had fallen asleep in his own lab, while Brice took the room selfishly. Jason never stepped out of his room, and Ty stayed in his hybrid form, getting pissed and cranky over everything and anything. His own squad did not want to approach him.

Sky's squad was down to one excluding himself. He stayed in his room as well, and stared at his face in the mirror. He used to hate the golden eyes he 'inherited' from Herobrine. Over the past six years though, Sky got used to it. He actually thought it was pretty sexy. Now, he was back to the weird and ugly amber, and Sky loathed it.

He spent the entire night trying to get back what connected him and Herobrine. He tried contacting him through telepathy, but there was silence. He desperately tried to find his powers, instincts, anything.

They had all disappeared.

○

The furious beeping of the monitoring charms was what broke Hero from his nightmare.

He hated having nightmares, especially when he was blind. He treasured his sight a lot, and the only time he could see, was in his dreams. However, all his dreams would be nightmares, and it seemed like whenever Hero was close to seeing again, the only thing he could see was his traumatic experiences in life. It sucked even more when Hero needed sleep because he was considered an ordinary blind human. He was 'forced' to sleep, as with his powers, he did not need rest. He dreaded every night, but did not tell anyone.

After all, he had never told anyone in years.

He always woke up to a panic attack, without fail. The heart monitoring charms would go haywire, and sleepy medics would come and assist him. He tried to force himself to calm down before they came. He did not want anyone to see how much more vulnerable and helpless he was. He always apologized to the medics, who were shaken out of their sleep in the middle of the night just to check on Hero.

Hero had Erin in his hands once again. The cat licked his fingers repeatedly, soothing him with a purr. Someone had come in, and Hero turned his head towards the sound of military heels clicking on the floor. He heard the crinkling of paper then asked softly, "What is it? Who are you?"

He heard Steve's familiar voice and visibly relaxed. His lieutenant said, "Ah, sorry. It's me. We just received a letter from the Southern Military, and it clearly isn't a report. It's addressed to you specifically, from their commander."

Hero hummed, "Read it out for me, then."

He heard Steve probably trying to get out the letter, then heard him clear his throat before reading.

"I'll just cut to the important points. Okay, it says 'We have encountered a serious problem within a few individual soldiers in our army. These soldiers all know you personally, so we hope this sounds familiar to you so you may lend out a helping hand to solve this problem. Corporal Tyler Warren Ellis, Sergeant Jason Probst, Warlock and Head Medic Seto Jonathan Foster and soldiers Brice Purton, Mitchell Donnell-Ralph Hughes and Jerome Robert Aceti and I, Adam Dahlberg are victims of something... Odd.' "

Steve paused to catch his breath, and Hero tried to connect these names to faces he had seen before. He obviously remembered power duo Seto and Brice, as they came often for 'business matters'. Hero obviously remembered Sky, Ty and Jason. The trio were close and some of the most powerful, with himself coming first, of course. However, because of recent events Hero was useless. Nonetheless, he listened closely.

" 'Jerome Robert Aceti has gone missing as of February 15, estimated time 6 in the morning, after his bunkmate, Mitchell Donnel-Ralph Hughes, woke to see him missing. We have sent search parties to a 10-mile radius surrounding the base as of 2a.m. on February 16, but to no avail.' "

Hero shut his eyes, his hand halting over Erin's fur. The cat mewed questionably and settled for rubbing his hand along his owner's wrist.

" 'From the soldiers I have listed above, soldiers Ellis, Probst, Hughes and Dahlberg, me, are registered as hybrids. Hughes is a blaze hybrid, Ellis is an enderdragon-' "

Hero frowned, "Cut to the part after he explained what they were. I know all that."

Steve hummed, and read, " 'We also have Foster as our resident warlock. These individuals have experienced something strange with their hybrid sides, powers or magic. Ellis is now permanently stuck in half-hybrid form. It is the norm for him, however, he finds that he is unable to change to either full form, or human form. This is also the case for Probst. His case is more severe, as he should not have a half form. It is uncomfortable for him, and we are not able to find anyone else who has experienced the same, as both Probst and Ellis are the only wither and enderdragon hybrids respectively.' "

Hero could hear the confusion in Steve's voice.

" 'As for Hughes, his form has been going on and off involuntarily. He is unable to control it, and it is taking toll on him and his comrades. He is also obviously in distress after losing his bunkmate, Aceti. As for myself and Foster... We have lost everything. I no longer am able to use my powers, and it feels like they have never even existed. Foster has lost his ability to use his magic. My eyes have returned to normal, and Foster is incapable of using his wand.' "

Steve paused, and Hero told him to take his time. Both of them were a little spooked, because it all seemed to be a coincidence. It got worse.

" 'As for Purton's involvement in all this... I do not know the details, but Foster has told me to write this: The connection between us is gone, sir, and I know you'd understand what I mean.' "

Hero knew. It involved getting pissed, a jungle, secrets and a typhoon. Steve did not stop to inquire.

" 'We hope you may be able to help us, or at least know what's going on. The military is a mess right now. We think you may know, as all these events started on the same time period. The night of February 14, to the night of February 15.' It ends off there, sir."

Hero took his time to register everything. He started petting Erin again, trying to calm himself down as he recollected that night. He was supposed to meet someone in the Aether, he promised to meet someone in the Aether. February 14, Valentine's Day. He was almost set to leave until the incident came and took away his ability to even step into the Aether. Hero's heart ached as he apologized silently for the person who was probably worried sick and waiting up in the realm. He hears Steve step closer to him, and startles when a hand is placed upon his shoulder.

He relaxed when the hand squeezed his comfortably. It was silent for a while, until Hero ordered, "Get a pen and paper. I'd like to reply, and at the same time, make an invitation."

"Of course, sir. Right away, sir."

He hears Steve leave the room immediately, military heels being heard down the hallway. Erin meows, and Hero resumes his petting.

○

Adam,

I'm not in the best state either. Gather up everyone, and come to the North immediately. We will be waiting. The carriage costs will be covered by me. Either Seto or Brice knows how to get in. Find Steve, and he'll bring you to me. Stay safe, and I await your visit.

Persson

○

The letter was delivered by a fancy carriage. Two horses and a coachman were ready to bring the soldiers to the North. Sky, Seto and Jason took one side of the carriage, while Brice, Ty and Mitch sat on the other. The vibe had been awful, as everyone could smell the tension between Seto and Brice. At one point, they started arguing and Ty, out of frustration, tore a gaping slice on the cushions. It was followed the others joining in on the argument, while the coachman groaned.

They stopped for breaks at the Center, a couple of them getting wasted at Whiskey City. They passed out in the carriage, and everyone, especially the coachman, was relieved. Once they entered the king's kingdom, they started to get excited over being in royal part of Minecraftia. They all had their uniforms on, and passing Royal Military soldiers greeted them with a nod. Multiple stared at Sky, as they heard of him at least once from their general.

They reached the gates to the castle, and a stern guard asked them about their intentions, and warned them about the ward. Seto handed him Herobrine's letter, and they spotted a look of relief in the guard's eyes. He let them through, and Ty caught him whispering, "You better take care of sir."

The enderdragon stared at him for a bit, and growled. The guard did not stir, and held his ground, narrowing his eyes. Ty was impressed. Herobrine really trained his men and women well. They eventually got out of the carriage, and entered the castle, greeted by the throne room. King Jeb happened to be on his throne, reading a few business proposals. His eyes went to study the soldiers, before he turned to a guard and whispered hurriedly to her.

While the guard rushed off, King Jeb stood and greeted them, "Welcome. Please wait patiently here. Lieutenant General Winchester will arrive shortly."

They all looked at each other strangely. Every three months, Herobrine would call for a conference with all military commanders, their corporals and chosen specialists or soldiers. They have all gone at least once, and they all have met Herobrine's lieutenant general, Steven or Steve for short. They all noticed how the Royal Military superiors looked alike, the only differences being their eyes and heights. They were not used to following someone who was not Herobrine, so it had been odd to follow Steve's orders.

Speak of the devil, there he was. Clad in the smart dark blue uniform of the Royal Military, the lieutenant general saunters in with a straight face. Everyone saluted their superior, and he saluted back. He calls them to follow him, and they slowly trail behind him as he walks into a hallway. Sky decided to break the silence, "Sir?"

Steve hummed questionably. Sky asked, "How's the general?"

The lieutenant rubbed the pistol on his thigh sheath and replied, "You'll see for yourself, cadet."

Sky ducked his head, "Right."

Ty grunted at the awkward conversation and Sky shot him a look. The enderdragon huffed and showed him the finger. Jason ignored them and tried to keep up, rubbing at the constricting bones around his torso, trying to ease the pain. Mitch gave himself distance from the group, as he was anxious. The air around him was growing warm and he did not want to hurt anyone. Seto and Brice just walked silently, neither acknowledging the other.

They came to a stop by a guarded door. The guards saluted Steve, who saluted back once again. The guards made way for the group, and Steve turned to his inferiors. He instructed carefully, "Don't make any sudden movements or sounds. Don't be loud, and do not approach unless he tells you to. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," was their hushed response.

Steve studied them for a moment before swinging the door open carefully. He called out softly, "Sir? They're here."

They all heard a tired rumble from a tired general. They streamed in, trying to silent the loud clicking of their boots on the marble floor. They see a lone bed, with Herobrine sitting up and facing away from them, staring blankly at a wall. A gray tabby was purring away in his lap, and Ty caught sight of a diamond embedded collar on its throat. He had the urge to steal it.

Steve stepped forward, and placed a careful hand on his general's shoulders. They all watched the general tense up for a bit, before relaxing. Their superiors started whispering to each other until Steve stood back and waited for Herobrine to address the group. Sky was impatiently waiting, as he had not seen Herobrine for the past two months. He looked bad already, and none of them has even seen his face yet.

His usually well-kept hair was not in a neat bun. The color was now a dirty brown, and it hang loose around his shoulders. The man had grown it out over the past six years, Sky used to tease him for copying himself. It grew past Sky's ponytail length, so he shut up eventually. Herobrine also had his concealment charms down, but everyone in the room already knew or had seen the scarred body the Swede hid away from the world. The thick scar on his neck made Sky wince.

He was not in full uniform, but he was in the Royal Military training shirt. The dark blue shirt with white letters and all that stuff. The thick blankets covered everything else, so they patiently waited for him to talk. Slowly, he turned and more than one person let out a soft gasp.

Still, Herobrine raised an eyebrow at what he assumed was their direction and spoke.

"I would say nice to see you all again, but it's pretty clear that saying so would be ironic."