Disclaimer: I do not own the game 'Minecraft'. I only own this AU series.
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A week has passed since Sky's decision. He had spoken to Ty, who was uncomfortable with Herobrine's lack of input. For the past week he has been avoiding Sky and focused on integrating Killia into the Southern Military. She seemed much better ever since Kei was discharged from Seto's care.

However, Ty couldn't avoid Sky forever. They still had to work together, so when the commandant called him to his office he complied. They spent the whole afternoon planning how the reveal would go. Sky wanted to gather all soldiers in the morning, but Ty brought up the concern of soldiers having early morning shifts being left out.

Unfortunately, at any given time, soldiers would be out and about doing their duties, and they couldn't gather everyone. Sky then suggested ordering shift leaders to stay behind first, then leave with the message to give to the soldiers under them.

On the bright side, the North finally responded, and were transporting the civilians out of the base's shelter and into proper ones in the Center. Carriages came and went, transporting the civilians to the nearest train station so they could take the steam train to the Center, and the Royal Military would take over from there.

That meant there would be little civilians at the base, as Sky wanted the reveal to stay within the base walls as much as possible.

They also discussed the probability of anyone being like them. They already had quite the number of magic folk soldiers, but what about hybrids? People with creature blood in them? The two bantered about whether a certain person could be non-human at one point.

Sky has already planned out points to say in his head, and even rehearsed in front of Ty. The captain fell asleep twice. He woke up when Sky mentioned his name though. They then had a shouting match on whether Ty should reveal himself right after. Ty was extremely uncomfortable, wanting to take it slow, but he eventually agreed. Sky needed all the help he could get.

They discussed so far into the night that they fell asleep over some late dinners they snuck from the pantry. They both woke up with stiff necks, slumped over in their chair. They carried out their plan, doing their duties and so as usual. During the evening, Ty passed out the order to the soldiers, and the following morning would be the reveal.

Before he slept, Ty prayed to the *Sisters.

Sky had to see Seto before he slept to remove his cast. The commandant was sitting patiently on a chair while the sorcerer gently cut open the cast.

Seto quietly reminded him, "It's fully healed, but please be careful. You recovered too fast for my liking."

Sky smirked, "Maybe my body's getting used to it."

The brunet looked at him sternly, "That's not something to be proud of. I don't want to see you here again."

It was silent once again, as Seto was cutting off the last of the cast. He then asked curiously, "The meeting tomorrow morning... What is it for?"

Sky thought of what to say before he cautiously replied, "For people to work together, especially tasked with something like defending the country... We need to be truthful with ourselves and one another."

Seto blinked at him before looking back at his work, "I see."

"Will you be there?"

Seto smiled, not looking at him, "Of course, Brice and I will be there."

He was finished cutting the last of the cast and carefully removed it from Sky's arm. When the sorcerer went to dispose of the cast, Sky flexed his arm, moving it this way and that. He also wiped off the sweat that had accumulated under the cast.

"Alright! You're done. Come back if anything doesn't seem right, and tell me if it starts to hurt again," said Seto happily as he turned around.

Sky stood up, still stretching out his arm and rubbing his elbow. He nodded to Seto, "Thanks, Seto. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Sky opened the door to see Brice standing there, waiting. The blond brightened up for a moment until he looked up at Sky's face. He then peered over Sky's shoulder to look at Seto. Sky rolled his eyes with a smile before stepping aside. He watched Brice burst inside to greet his friend for a moment before walking to his room.

As he walked, his mind was focused on the meeting the following morning. He was rehearsing in his head, sometimes whispering to himself which caught the attention of passing soldiers. He finally made it to his room, and was about to conduct his pre-sleep routine.

"How's your arm?"

He looked up to see Herobrine at the balcony again. Sky narrowed his eyes. He was wearing his cloak again, but his bandana was down at his neck. He couldn't see any visible injuries. He didn't look ragged or tired, so it was safe to assume that the Swede hadn't run into any trouble that day.

Sky approached him and showed off his arm with a smile, "All good. Thanks for speeding up my recovery. Seto's a little suspicious, but he's more concerned."

Herobrine looked at his arm and nodded, "Good. No problem."

Sky stepped closer, scratching the back of his head sheepishly with a hand, "Uh, maybe you can teach me how to heal? I don't want to be a burden in the future."

Herobrine folded his arms and shook his head. Sky's shoulders slumped until Herobrine explained, "Not now. It's too early. We'll get you to master magic first. Healing another person is a transfer of your own energy. Healing yourself is to direct your energy to focus on recovery. It's a complex thing, and can be draining."

Sky raised an eyebrow, "We're doing magic next?"

Herobrine just smirked at him cheekily, "Yup, getting you a wand and everything."

The Swede's tone changed from relaxed to serious yet gentle. He looked soft, and Sky felt a little odd.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Sky soothed his concern with a confident grin as he replied, "Yes, I discussed heavily with Ty last night."

Herobrine's look softened and he laughed, "Yeah, I know. I was the one who put your cloaks over you when you slept."

Sky's eyes widened and he smiled gratefully, "Thank you."

Herobrine nodded, before taking a step back towards the balcony. He was going to take his leave. Before he teleported away, he paused. Sky looked at him expectantly.

He was leaning against a banister. He was looking down at a gathering of soldiers. Some in full uniform, some in training attire and some even in civilian clothing. They were all listening to a blurry figure who was up on the second floor, speaking. As he looked closer he realized there were two. He couldn't hear what they were saying.

He then watched several soldiers in the crowd raise their hands. Then, one by one, he watched them come to their true selves. They were not exactly clear from where he was, but it was aspiring all the same. Herobrine had seen many hybrids in his life. He has seen rare creatures, invisible to the human eye.

But he has never seen so many in one place, together with regular humans, united as one. For once they weren't fighting or killing one another. They were together, friends and comrades.

He felt safe.

Herobrine suddenly seemed to have snapped back to reality. He blinked at Sky owlishly, before speaking.

"I'll... I'll be there. Watching."

He turned around, refusing to look at the commandant for some reason, before disappearing in a flash.

-

Sky had woken up early. He was sitting at his desk, hands covering his nose as he thought. Someone knocked on the door and he invited them in.

Ty's head poked out, and he asked, "You ready?"

Sky nodded, standing up. He grabbed his cloak that was hanging off his chair and swung it over his shoulders. As they went down the hall, the only sound was the click of their boot heels. Sky was silent the entire walk, which got Ty anxious.

"You're not nervous?" he asked again.

Sky shook his head, still mute.

Ty rolled his eyes and said sternly, "At least talk to me."

After a moment of Ty staring at Sky with narrowed eyes, the latter gave in, "Sorry. Just thinking."

The captain sighed, reaching out to place a comforting hand on the commandant's shoulder, "We've done all the thinking already. Think too much and you'll mess up in front of everyone. We can't risk that, so just act... Cool."

Sky let himself chuckle as he said, "I've always been cool."

Ty let out a mocking laugh, the comforting hand shoving the commandant away jokingly.

As they walked closer to the dining hall where the reveal would take place, the sounds of friendly chatter grew louder. Sky hummed, impressed. Ty was able to get a lot of soldiers to gather. It must have been annoying as hell, but the captain was never one to slack, even though he claims to be lazy.

Finally, they reached the dining hall. The chatter died down a little as the commandant and his captain made their way to the second level platform overlooking the hall. They passed by Jerome and Mitch, who were sitting down. Jerome still had his wrist bandaged, and he was dressed in civilian clothes.

Sky and Ty nodded to them, and the pair grinned back. They looked exhausted for some reason, with dark eyebags under their eyes. Not to mention Jerome's disheveled clothing. Sky and Ty knew them well enough to know they were not early birds, but their bedhead was never this bad.

Nonetheless, they had no time to dwell on their soldiers' sleeping routine. They made their way up the stairs to the second floor, which had a platform overlooking the entire dining hall. It was made for announcements, and a huge map of the Southern region of Minecraftia was pinned on the wall beneath it. Next to the map were shift schedules, dictated by multiple colored pins on the map.

Immediately the hall went quiet, and all heads turned to their superiors. Sky and Ty held their heads up, and glanced at each other. After a subtle nod from Ty, the commandant began.

"Ever since I was promoted to the rank of Commandant, I knew I not only had to uphold Minecraftia's military mission," he said, loud and clear.

His voice echoed in the silent hall, as he gestured to the flag of Minecraftia on the wall next to the Southern Military flag. Underneath both flags were bold letters.

'TO THOSE WHO BELIEVED'

"I had to create a vision of my own, for the Southern Military. Changes must be made, and I set to work."

Ty stood loyally at his side as he spoke. As Sky opened his mouth to continue, his hypersensitive ears picked up a familiar warping sound. He glanced to one of the dark and empty hallways, to see two white glowing eyes staring at him curiously.

Sky let himself smirk before continuing, "We must work together to defend this land. This land the brave young people from years ago died to reserve, just for us. We must work together, because they did.

"And to work together, there must be trust. A team, a group, needs trust in one another to accomplish a common goal. Without trust, we can't defend a village. Without trust, we can't go into a fight without anyone to have our backs.

"This military will be built on trust. And that's why, today... I hope you have enough trust in me, your commandant."

He paused, licking his dry lips. He looked at the crowd of men and women, then looked at Ty. The captain was already looking at him, and for once, Sky saw determination in those eyes. Ty nodded. Sky nodded back.

He spoke again, slowly, "Because... I trust you. I trust everyone who is here and couldn't be here. I trust everyone enough to show you the real me."

He ducked his head, and his hand went over his eyes. He willed for the charm, the facade to drop. When he no longer felt the uncomfortable weight under his eyes, his fingers slid away, he raised his head, and he opened his eyes again.

Immediately, gasps could be heard from the crowd. Sky blinked at the crowd, letting them react first. He scanned them, but whenever his glowing golden eyes met someone's, they flinched.

He squeezed his eyes tight, and projected his voice again, capturing the room's attention, "I know. I know these eyes are familiar. Whatever you think I am, you're most likely right. However..."

He opened his eyes again and let himself be vulnerable. He let his emotions show on his face, not holding back. Trust. He needed to prove he trusted them enough to be so open to them. He let the desperation leak into his voice as he spoke.

"I promise you. I need you to trust me when I say that I will never hurt anyone. I am in perfect control of myself, my actions, and my powers. No one will come to harm under me, I assure you."

Sky found himself at a loss for words when he still saw uncertainty and fear in the eyes of his men. He was about to think he fucked up until Ty spoke from his side.

The captain's voice was loud, louder than his, and was fierce.

"Can you all have some faith? I've known about this for more than a month. He's had multiple opportunities to hurt me, and everyone."

He looks at Sky, who is staring back with a small grin.

"But he hasn't," Ty looks back at the crowd, "And he won't."

His tone dropped to a more gentler and relaxed one as he playfully swatted at Sky's thigh, "Besides, he has me to keep him in check."

The heavy weight on Sky's heart lifted a little at the soft chuckles in the crowd.

"Your commandant is right. Trust is very important if we want to get things done. Which is why... I trust you all enough to stick with me even after I show you who I truly am," said Ty, slowly but with conviction.

The crowd was silent again. Sky was just thankful that no one ran away. Yet. The commandant turned to Ty, who took a deep breath before shutting his eyes.

His enderdragon shift was familiar to Sky, but not to everyone else. The gasps were even louder than before once the change was finished. However, there were lesser gasps, and one sweeping glance told Sky that some soldiers were more curious than scared.

Ty made a show of spreading his leathery wings to its full span. They cast a shadow over them, looming high past their heads. They both stayed silent as they gazed upon the crowd of their soldiers, letting them take everything in. Sky was pleased to find lesser people instinctively reaching for their weapons.

He halted their awe by speaking once again, "We've shown you the impossible. We've shown you the truth. Now all I ask of you, is to do the same."

Some soldiers looked puzzled, but there were a few... Who looked terrified. Those soldiers flinched or looked away, scared of what their commandant was implying. Ty and Sky looked at each other after a brief survey of the crowd. They saw.

Sky continued on, "There are many of you who are like us, hiding."

Ty joined in, "There is no need to hide, not anymore. People need to acknowledge our existence. It was bound to happen. We cannot stay silent for the rest of our lives."

The captain's tail coiled at his feet as he spoke, and his wings folded back, fluttering as they did so. His purple eyes narrowed, not with anger, but with determination. Said determination was also clear in Sky's ever-bright golden eyes.

The commandant stepped forward, then exclaimed, "Please, step forward!"

His voice dropped lower, but maintained its volume, "Have trust in one another."

The sincerity that he allowed to bleed into those words must have awoken something in the anxious soldiers. They all looked at each other and murmured to themselves. Some were curious, some were wary and some were frightened.

A hand shot up in the air.

"Sirs!"

Everyone turned to look at the man. Sky breathed a sigh of relief just as Ty called, "Jordan Maron, yes?"

Sky beamed. Jordan was a talented soldier. He was an officer cadet, and had rose up the ranks fast. He was humble and down-to-earth, often entertaining tired soldiers by performing for them. He made fantastic songs, and the dining hall stage was his preferred battlefield, so to speak.

The man was also confident, and he truly showed it by choosing to step up first. Though Sky was surprised, he and Ty had easily dismissed him as a regular, talented human being in their debate on whether who was human or not. Ah well, it was always those who you least expect it to be.

"You're right. We need to trust each other, and in order for that to happen we need to be truthful... I-I've always been afraid," he started out, loud but slow.

He then looked straight at Ty, and smiled softly as he said, "Looks like we're not that different, sir."

Ty raised an eyebrow, and Jordan took a deep breath, shutting his eyes. As he exhaled, eyes still shut, his body started to be encompassed with a brilliant red light. Everyone around him gasped as his form started to change, and the light began to fade.

Ty's throat let out an involuntary grumble as his eyes fell upon Jordan's form.

The raven-haired man was in civilian clothing, probably off-duty that day. All he wore was his iconic black coat over a plain white button-up that had the first few buttons left open, his dog-tags laying exposed around his neck. His beard was neatly trimmed and he still wore his training pants and boots.

Jordan's rich brown skin had patches of shiny scales. They covered his cheeks, his collarbone, and from underneath his sleeves, people could see scales around the joint of his wrist. His nails were still blunt and short as compared to Ty's. What he had that Ty didn't, were long, scaly ears.

They were red, and they flicked around as people talked about him. He gave an open-mouthed smile to Ty, showing off his magnificent fangs. A part of Ty buried deep inside him growled at the display, probably threatened by it. He paid no mind.

Jordan's eyes were also similar to Ty's. They were no longer his usual dark blue, but were bright yellow, accompanied with thin black slits for irises. They held no hostility, filled with warmth and relaxation instead. Ty understood how it must have felt, to let yourself be free after keeping it all in for such a long period of time.

Ty genuinely enjoyed being in his half-form. Whenever he shifted, the weight on his chest lifted and his mind would be clear of any stress. It truly was amazing.

So the captain smiled back.

He would like to know how Jordan's dragon side came about. He didn't look like an enderdragon at all, with his red scales. His large wings behind him had a pale yellowish membrane, and his wingspan was much shorter than Ty's. He was of a smaller dragon species. He took note to talk to him about it later.

There was an awkward silence as everyone took in Jordan's newfound form. The dragon hybrid rolled his shoulders back, his short red tail swinging about lazily behind him as he chuckled, "Feels good to finally shift."

He turned to the people around him and smirked, "C'mon then, join me. I can practically smell you hiding in the crowd."

Sky blinked a few times from where he stood. That was rather bold of Jordan. He sounded like he was calling out the other non-humans among the soldiers. It seemed to work however as a few more hands shot up.

The soldiers around those who spoke out stepped back and gave their comrades space to speak. There were three more who chose to reveal themselves. Ty was surprised to find Vivienne Vaughn to be one of them. He was slightly suspicious of her being non-human. Her scent has always been too sweet to him.

She didn't speak first, however, and another soldier by the name of Lenny Coltman decided to speak first. Several higher ranking soldiers have given good word about this soldier to Ty and Sky. He was punctual, talented and passionate to serve.

Coltman nervously started off by talking about how he was terrified that his non-human side would affect the relationships he made as a soldier.

"I didn't want anyone to be scared of me, or to think that I was... I was a monster."

It was amazing to see that everyone was listening attentively. Some were nodding along, understanding his fear and doubts.

As he spoke, he became more confident. He then took a deep breath and shut his eyes, pausing before opening them again. His brown eyes have noticeably gone a bright red. When he opened his mouth to speak, thick fangs that weren't there before appeared.

"I'm part vampire. I know it seems unlikely and unreal, but it's the truth. My mother was a full vampire, and she was killed for it. Vampires do exist, and you'll be surprised to find that many reside in Minecraftia."

Sky's eyes widened. He's always thought that vampires were purely fictional creatures.

Coltman continued on bravely, "Rest assured, my bloodlust has never been a problem. I do not feed on humans, and I never will. I... I hope that who I am doesn't change the fact that I'm loyal to the country."

Sky responded in a clear and confident tone, smiling slightly, "It won't. Your efforts have always been and will continue to be recognized. Thank you, Coltman."

Coltman nodded, smiling widely back. Sky was pleased to see that Coltman's friends surrounding him clapped him on the shoulder and ruffled his hair after his reveal goodheartedly. He could hear some of them commenting on his eyes being "super fucking cool".

Ty payed extra attention when Vivienne chose to speak up next.

"To be honest, I was never really afraid. I was confident in my ability to hide who I was," she started off.

She smiled cheerfully as she said sheepishly, "But it is really nice to let go once in a while, and I'm really thankful everyone is being so accepting."

She cut straight to the point, her smile never leaving her face, "I am a full siren. My whole family are sirens. I really wish I could shift or sing for you, but I do not want to see anyone harmed. All I can do to prove is this..."

She raised her hand, and spread her fingers. From the back of her throat, she started humming a pleasant tune. It wasn't a full song, but Ty and Sky still felt their heads getting a little hazy. Everyone observed as webs started to grow between her fingers, and shiny, smooth green scales grew over her knuckles.

Her nails turned into a dark green color, and her long black hair began to take on a greener sheen. After a few moments of humming, Vivienne closed her eyes and let her hair turn into a deep murky green, similar to algae.

Her simple tune stopped and she opened her eyes, before carding her webbed fingers through her hair. She mumbled, "I know it's not much, but it's all I can do."

Ty spoke this time, reassuring her, "You do not have to prove anything. Thank you, Vaughn. It takes a certain type of inner strength to reveal yourself."

He nodded respectfully to her before letting his gaze sweep the crowd, "This goes to all of you who are like us. Your worth will not change because of your true self. You don't have to prove anyone anything. If you're uncomfortable to reveal yourself now, do not feel pressured, but do think about what we've talked about today."

He then looked at the last one who decided to speak out together with Coltman and Vaughn. He was a younger man, who probably came from the Drew siblings' batch.

He was even more nervous than Coltman, stuttering as he talked. It took the friendliest smiles Sky and Ty could muster for him to speak properly. Still anxious, the soldier gave up halfway and just shifted on the spot, surprising everyone.

He changed into a spider on the spot. A few soldiers, on instinct, jumped back from the supposed mob. The soldier-spider hissed, looking around before looking up his superiors with a pleading look in his multiple beady eyes, hoping it was enough.

Before Sky or Ty could respond and reassure him, something remarkable unfolded before their eyes.

Flashes of color appeared in the crowd as people who never spoke out just shifted into their true forms. Gasps rung out and soldiers stepped away to give space to their friends. The commandant and captain just watched in awe as their soldiers revealed themselves without any further prompting.

The nervous spider shifter hissed happily to find a few other spider hybrids among them. His nervousness faded immediately as he looked around at his comrades rooting for him.

It was touching.

Ty couldn't pick out any more dragon hybrids apart from himself and Jordan, but he saw creatures he's never seen before. There was another vampire, one female soldier who had beautiful reddish-brown wings on her back, a few creeper hybrids and one guy at the back with huge horns on his head.

It was certainly more than he thought, but he wasn't complaining.

Meanwhile, Sky stood there speechless. Herobrine wasn't lying when he said there were many like them. He couldn't believe his eyes.

He just let his happiness show in the rare beaming smile he gave his soldiers.

The newly discovered non-humans and humans cried out as one in response.

-

Kei shook off the tight grip his sister had on his shoulder. She had grabbed it the moment their commandant revealed his glowing golden eyes to them. When Kei looked at her, he just saw hostility and wariness. He said nothing then, still cautious of the meeting.

But after hearing everyone's stories? And watching everyone come together?

They were still his comrades. He will serve alongside them no matter what. However, Killia was still uncertain, and almost shoved her brother behind her when she saw the spider. Granted, Kei also flinched, but could you blame him?

He also didn't blame all spiders just of one's mistake, what kind of person would do that?

"You okay?"

Killia grunted before looking up at her commandant and captain. She narrowed her eyes and said lowly, "I hunted with him."

Kei followed her gaze to their captain. He stood with a rare smile, arms folded to hide his black hands and claws. His wings were folded behind him, but they were still huge and unmissable.

He whispered to his sister, keeping his eyes on Captain Ellis, "You don't know his story, sister. You don't have the right to judge them."

Killia looked down at her brother with wide eyes.

"But Kei-"

"No one has the right," said Kei firmly.

He looked back at his sister, meeting her desperate gaze. He faltered a bit, never seeing her in such a state since...

He let his emotion bleed into his voice and eyes as he pleaded, "We were so hurtful to the magic folk, Killia. Even though we slaughtered them, they still offer their services, their magic, the one thing that has gotten themselves killed, to us."

He leaned back, letting his tone grow more serious as he furrowed his brows, "Captain Ellis is right. It takes remarkable strength to reveal yourself like that to such a cruel species."

He stood from the dining table, limping a bit. Killia moved to steady him but he flinched away from her. Her outstretched hands fell to her sides as she watched her brother put distance between them.

He looked over his shoulder.

"We're the real monsters here."

He limped into the crowd, and Killia watched his hurt expression grow into a delighted one as he embraced his friend, who happened to be a hybrid.
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A great thanks to misspinkdragon101 for giving me the idea of dragon hybrid Jordan!

*In this universe, there are three realms. The Aether, the Nether and the End. In Minecraftia, the people worship four sisters.

Lady Minecraftia, the goddess who made the impossible possible. The eldest. The first. The mother.

Lady Netheria, the goddess who brings justice to those who've suffered. The punisher.

Lady Endia, the goddess who gives life, soul and opportunity. Mysterious yet generous.

Lady Aetheria, the goddess of eternal rest. She who watches over the living, gives them the biggest gift of destiny. The youngest.

Minecraftians may choose to devote themself to one of the last three, but their main goddess will remain Lady Minecraftia, and it is unwise to neglect the rest.

They have a plan brewing.