The moment Sky and Ty took their leave from the dining hall, excited chatters filled the hall. Friends crowded around their newly discovered non-human friends, asking them about the part of them they've hidden for years. Jordan proudly showed off his scaly tail and wings, even taking flight and perching on a wood beam.

Killia retreated to her room. Kei stayed behind to talk to his friends. Jerome and Mitch were still seated, still processing what had just happened. Mitch snapped out of it and looked around at his comrades. Some of them still looked unsure, but were slowly getting the idea.

The brunet spun and squeezed Jerome's forearm and whispered, "They still don't know about us."

Jerome frowned and looked at his lap, "I don't think they should, buddy."

Mitch turned his head to look at him, leaning down to try and catch his friend's eyes, "Why not? Look around you, Jerome."

The other man still refused to look away from his lap and spoke firmly, "I'm not ready."

"Then we go to Seto."

Jerome lifted his head and looked at him, baffled, "What for?"

Mitch rolled his eyes but squeezed his forearm again, "Potions. To help your change."

He ducked his head and spoke softly, reassuringly, "If we can't reveal ourselves to everyone, then we can do it to Seto. We've known him for years, dude."

Jerome remained silent, un-moving. His eyes stayed on the bandaged stump of his wrist. He'd been receiving a lot of pitiful looks lately, and he hated it.

"Hey."

A hand gently laid over his bandaged wrist. He startled. No one has ever touched him ever since he lost his hand. They were always afraid of hurting him, afraid that one feeble touch will cause him to lose all his limbs. The hand on his wrist didn't hurt, it was gentle in its tender hold.

Jerome's eyes followed the hand up its arm to its owner.

"I'll show him mine if you show yours?" Mitch said cheekily with a wink.

Jerome couldn't help it and barked out a laugh, wheezing, "Brice will have our fucking heads, but sure, buddy."

He grinned openly at his friend, "Let's go."

Mitch brightened up at that and they both stood, quietly leaving the now busy hall. Mitch claimed he saw Seto and Brice leave towards the small library in the base and they were heading there. A couple of soldiers chatting animatedly about the meeting minutes ago passed them, too distracted to throw pitiful looks at Jerome, which he was grateful for.

When they reached the door, they paused before it, blankly staring at the gold engravings on the wooden door. They looked at one another and both took a deep breath before entering.

They found Seto bent over a thick book with Brice walking around with books in his hands, clearly trying to return them to their original places. The two men looked up at them. The four just stood there, staring at each other in silence. After a moment, Seto turned to nod at Brice, who nodded back and disappeared into the shelves with the books.

Seto straightened up and gestured to the two chairs in front of him with a welcoming smile. Jerome and Mitch shuffled over quietly.

Seto spoke first, his smile warm and inviting, "What did you think of the meeting?"

Jerome replied quietly, "It was... A surprise. A pleasant one."

Seto hummed, nodding, "And I assume you coming to me has something to do with the subject of that meeting. Am I wrong?"

Mitch and Jerome looked at each other before giving one single shake of their heads. Seto pushed in his chair and straightened up.

He cut to the chase, "What are you?"

Jerome gritted his teeth, looking down as Mitch fiddled with his fingers. The sorcerer said nothing and gave them time, waiting patiently.

Finally, Mitch answered, "We're... We're rare. In my case, I've never met someone like me. For Jerome... He's just not the common sort."

Seto remained silent, waiting for the right answer.

Frustrated, Jerome blurted out, "I'm a werewolf and Mitch has fire abilities."

The two men stiffened after their quick confession and Seto took a moment to take it in. It may seem like he was dumbfounded, but his mind was racing with all the questions of interest. Werewolves? They are said to be real but uncommon. Some people are still skeptical of their existence. And fire abilities? Does that mean Mitch has magic folk blood in him?

Looking up at the two men, the sorcerer was unsurprised to see them avoiding eye contact. Seto took this opportunity to let his Core Sight through, and he was puzzled to find nothing. Seto has never used Core Sight in a long time, most magic folk don't use it for privacy. It's been some time since Seto has seen a core.

So Mitch was not of magic folk blood. That was strange. Shaking his head, Seto let it rest for now and addressed Jerome, "A werewolf? When was the last time you changed?"

Jerome's gaze stayed fixed to the ground, "Before the attack. I need to change soon. I just... I don't know if it would be possible with..."

He raised his bandaged wrist.

Seto brought a finger up to his chin, thinking. After a while he asked, "How soon?"

Jerome cast a look towards the window in the library. The sun was still hiding in the distance, yet to come out. It was going to be a long day.

"I suspect within this week."

Seto nodded then turned his attention to Mitch, "Do you know what exactly you are? You're definitely not magic folk."

Mitch shrugged, "I don't know either. I just know I've got a thing for fire. It's never hurt me and I feel stronger in the sun. I just woke up one day when I was a teenager and found I could do this shit."

Seto cocked his head, "Like?"

Mitch bit his lip, eyeing the library doors. Seto flicked his wrist and a click sounded. Still uncertain and anxious, Mitch looked down at his shivering hands. Just then, a hand clasped over his own and squeezed. He chuckled softly at how the comfort he gave earlier went back to him.

He took a breath and exhaled an "Okay." He then shut his eyes, and focused. Immediately, Seto felt the area around him grow hot. His hair started sticking to his forehead with sweat, and he resisted the urge to pant. His robes felt hot and heavy on his shoulders.

He looked at Mitch, and startled at the sight of smoke rising from his body. It didn't fill the room, instead circling around him. At least he showed some sort of control. It remained like that for a few seconds until Mitch opened his eyes with a deep breath. His usual bright brown eyes were a bright, fiery yellow. It sharply reminded Seto of Commandant Dahlberg's glowing golden eyes. He had looked awfully like...

Seto bit his tongue. The day was filled with pleasant and intriguing surprises, but he musn't get ahead of himself. Many questions were still left unanswered, but he had all the time in the world.

He leaned forward on his elbows, peering at Mitch. The man stared back, his striking new eyes looking relaxed for once. The sorcerer was looking for any other differences, but could find none. He did notice how Mitch made sure his skin did not touch the wooden table, which could imply that he had a fiery hot touch.

Seto leaned back into his seat and gave them an easy smile. He spoke calmly, "I've never seen anything like this before but I'm sure I can find something in the Ancient Magical Archives."

Jerome raised an eyebrow skeptically, "What can you find in there that'll help us?"

Seto's smile maintained as he answered smoothly, "The Archives hold books that are forbidden. There's a lot of creature books, and quite a few on elemental magic."

Mitch gulped, "Forbidden? As in... Dangerous?"

Seto shrugged, "I don't know. The Council of Magic decides what's forbidden and what's not. The few times I've read forbidden books though, they are filled with information you'll never find anywhere else. The Archives are fiercely protected, so I won't be able to take anything out, but I can take down whatever I find could help you."

Mitch blinked at him before asking softly, "You'd do that for us?"

Seto let his smile drop into a sincere and empathetic one, "Of course. I know what it feels like to hide, and to be chased after because of something you can't help."

Mitch and Jerome were taken aback. They had forgotten that Seto was magic folk. They were massacred and burnt alive years and years ago. They were thought to be the work of the devil, to be evil, and were slaughtered like animals. Everyone knew Seto didn't have a family, and they also knew why.

Recovering from their shock quickly, they sprang forward and beamed at their friend.

"Thank you," they both whispered sincerely.

Seto simply nodded, returning the smile. Before Jerome and Mitch left, Seto promised them that he wouldn't tell anyone until they were ready. They were extremely appreciative, and after one last check-up on Jerome's wrist, the two friends left Seto sitting in the library, letting the questions flood his head.

After a moment, Brice shuffled over from between the bookcases. He plopped down a few thick and dusty books, the dust flying into the air and into Seto's face. The sorcerer coughed and spluttered, his pondering halted.

Brice slapped his back, muttering apologies for his mistake. When Seto's coughs died down, he glanced at the books then looked up at his friend with a questioning look and a flushed face.

"The only creature books and magic ones I can find here. Maybe we can find something useful," Brice explained, picking up a book and skimming through.

He stopped at a page containing a graphic illustration of a huge, full-grown wolf carrying a whole buck in its jaws. He shuddered when he thought back to Captain Ellis' canine friend.

"Yup... V-Very useful..." he groaned, shutting the book.

Seto just rolled his eyes with a chuckle, standing up and gathering half of the load into his arms. He started walking towards the entrance, calling back to his friend, "We'll see about that. We have a whole day to look at pretty pictures, so let's go."

Brice gathered up the remaining books hastily, slipping the gory one at the very bottom before hobbling after his friend.

-

Ty didn't want to return to his room after the meeting. He followed Sky to his room, the walk silent. Both men were obviously thinking back to the meeting. What could've been said, what they shouldn't have said, if people are still hiding...

They were so deep within their own minds that neither picked up the fresh and familiar scent on Sky's door knob. Their intrusive thoughts overthrew their sensitive nose, as they entered the room.

They both startled at the sight of Jason, who paced back and forth in front of the desk. The man was in full uniform, which meant he had duties that day. He looked up at them, and the worry lines on his face dropped.

Before he could say anything, Sky asked him, "Did you even go to the meeting?"

Jason nodded furiously, "Yes, I did, and I-"

Ty raised an eyebrow, "How the hell did you get here so fast?"

The stressed brunet raised his voice angrily, "Will you just- Give me a moment!"

On instinct, Ty reared back and hissed dangerously when Jason's voice dropped into a hoarse and cracked tone. His voice was deeper, and it didn't sound like him at all. Sky just stepped back, but continued observing the huffing lieutenant. His usually neat uniform was in a mess, with half of his shirt untucked from its belt. One of his shoelaces were untied, sliding across the floor as he paced around.

Jason was definitely not okay. He stuck to the rules loyally, always nit-picky about uniforms and conduct. Right now, he looked like a recruit who had just enlisted who barely knew how to wear his uniform. It was unsightly, but Sky focused on the task at hand.

He put a hand in front of the now defensive Ty, who was still snarling under his breath. He kept his eyes on Jason as he talked softly, "Jason, buddy... You okay?"

The lieutenant stopped, his back facing them. He roughly grabbed at his own hair and squat down, breathing heavily.

"I-I was fine! B-But this morning... I can't control it! I can't control it, Sky, and it's tearing me from the inside out!"

His voice dropped again and Ty growled more loudly. For some reason, the captain had thrown away all his human instincts and was focused on his enderdragon part. Said part of him was telling him that Jason was not safe and he needs to defend himself. The wings from earlier had slipped out, and were flapping with reckless abandon, almost hitting Sky on the head.

The commandant moved forward to avoid Ty's swings, closer to Jason. He carefully reached out to touch his shoulder, softly speaking, "Look, Jason-"

"Dahlberg, don't."

The commandant's head shot up to meet familiar glowing white eyes. Herobrine stood quietly behind Sky's desk, the sun peeking out in the hills far behind him. If the current situation was a little more relaxing, Sky would have joked about how he was an angel, always coming when needed.

But Sky's hand halted in midair, inches away from his sobbing friend's shoulder. Herobrine's presence stopped Ty's panicked frenzy, as his leathery wings immediately folded behind him. He still stood near the door, itching to get away should things get messy. The growls died down and the only sound in the room was Jason's loud cries.

Herobrine simply looked at Jason's quaking form before calmly approaching from around the desk. Sky let his hand drop to his side, but didn't move from his kneeling spot near Jason.

The Swede started, "Jason Probst, right? Show me you can hear me."

After a moment, Jason nodded his shaking head. His cries were softer now, held back forcibly. Herobrine dropped to a kneel, similar to Sky, but he made no move to touch Jason.

"Good. Do you know what you are, Jason?"

Usually such a question would be mocking or fierce, but Herobrine spoke smoothly. His voice remained neutral, neither kind nor full of anger. Jason's answer was a frantic shake of his head, his face still covered by his hands.

Herobrine slid closer, ducking his head to speak quietly, "You're still human, Jason. You can't let either part of you win, you have to accept them both."

Jason's reply was full of anguish, and Sky winced, "How can I accept the fact that I'm a monster?!"

Sky looked at Herobrine curiously, but found that his face was unreadable. It was calm in a eerie way, that the man was so composed at such a erratic display of panic and pain. Ty had come closer, locking the door before straying away from it. He now stood at Sky's side, observing alongside him.

The Swede next to Jason let the man sob for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and continuing, "Do you know who I am then?"

Jason's back was facing his friends, so they couldn't see him peering out from behind his fingers. He made eye contact with Herobrine, jumping at the sight of a fierce, glowing white gaze. Herobrine didn't respond, staring back into glowing gray ones. He didn't know that Jason would have eyes similar to his, but then again, he's never seen a wither before.

After a moment, Jason murmured between hiccups, "You were the ex-general. King Persson's brother."

Herobrine blinked away his shock. Now that was a first. Usually people would just scream his horrid murderer name, never acknowledging his previous life or the sacrifices he made as a former soldier. It was a nice change, but he decided not to focus on that.

He nodded once, a small movement, "That's right. You do know what I've done, right?"

Jason was still looking at him. He nervously nodded as well.

Herobrine hummed, moving a little closer, but not too much for Jason to notice. He reassured, "The only monster in this room is me."

Jason's eyes widened, so did Sky's and Ty's. From the moment Sky had met the man, he always calculated for the Swede to be egotistical and obnoxious. He feared and hated the man, believing him to be someone who would be proud of what horrible things he's done. Only then did Sky realize that the man had never shown any of that.

In fact, Herobrine shied away and scowled at any mention of his crimes. However, he had never heard the man bring himself down like that in order to provide comfort to someone he barely knew in person.

Herobrine wasn't finished, "You've done more good in your life than I ever could. If I was still a general, I'd drag you to the Northern Military and kept you under me."

His tone was lighter now, and he even spoke with a small smirk, indirectly insulting the Southern Military, which earned an eye roll from the military's commandant and captain.

The easy mood shifted to a more intimate one when Herobrine moved so he faced Jason properly. At this point, the lieutenant's hands dropped to his lap, leaving his tear-streaked face for all to see. Herobrine then placed a hand gently at the side of his head, cupping it with his thumb over Jason's temple. It was akin to a mother comforting their child who took a tumble.

He spoke softly, "You're young. You've got lots to learn, so don't discredit yourself from the start. You don't deserve that."

Jason had stopped crying, but was sniffing. His eyes have never moved from its fixed gaze with Herobrine. After a moment, Herobrine pressed his thumb against Jason's temple, and the latter shut his eyes.

He then fell forward, straight towards Herobrine. The man caught him, supporting his torso as the lieutenant slumped against his shoulder. Sky and Ty sprang forward, the former reaching first as he helped move Jason off of his mentor.

Ty knelt beside them, asking softly, "What did you do?"

At this, Sky turned to Herobrine with a questioning gaze. He thought that Jason collapsed out of stress, but apparently not. Herobrine replied smoothly, unfazed, "He's fine. He needs sleep, he hasn't been sleeping for three days. Now help me get him in bed."

Sky immediately urged, "Let me teleport us this time."

Herobrine raised an eyebrow incredulously, "You sure? You're teleporting three grown men and one sleeping one."

Sky pleaded, his eyes squinting, "Please."

The Swede shrugged, "Alright, then. Hold on, Ty."

The enderdragon startled out of his stupor and he awkwardly hung on to Herobrine's forearm. The two then looked expectantly at Sky, who shut his eyes tight and focused. They disappeared with a gold flash and an uncomfortable feeling in their chests.

When Herobrine opened his eyes, he was about to congratulate Sky for a job well done until Ty fell over with a groan. He then looked over to Sky who looked dazed and was about to drop Jason. The Swede surged forward to put all of Jason's weight on him and grumbled to himself as he carried Jason to his bed.

He carefully laid him down, unbuttoning his top few buttons so he could breath, before pulling his blanket over him. He turned to the two behind him, and found Ty kneeling on his hands and legs, head ducked as he heaved. Sky was patting his back, but he looked like he was about to hurl as well.

Sighing in exasperation, Herobrine snapped and two small vials were summoned to his fingers. He went forward and gave it to them with a clear command to drink. Sky drank it down in one swig and immediately winced, while Ty gagged at the smell.

"Drink it," said Herobrine, about to lose it.

Finally, when Ty finally got the potion into his system, he visibly relaxed, pulling himself up to stand.

Herobrine turned his focus to Sky, "You're almost there, but you didn't have the focus. The destination was clear in your mind, yes, I can see that. We need to work on your teleportation a bit more before we can move on to more complex things. We'll begin when I return."

Sky's eyes widened at that last sentence, "Wait, what? Return? Where are you going?"

Herobrine's expression remained eerily neutral as he explained, "I need to pay my brother a visit. I'll be back in a week or so. I trust that you can handle yourselves?"

When Sky was about to protest, Ty butt in with a firm nod, "Of course. Thank you for all your help with everything."

Herobrine stared at them, blinking. As if he couldn't believe what he just said. Truth was, he never heard a 'thank you' in a long while. Not knowing what to do, the man just ducked his head before turning and walking towards the balcony. A snap of his fingers summoned his cape on his shoulders and bandana around his neck.

He was about to bring his fingers to his mouth to whistle for his horse when Sky suddenly asked, "Hold on! What is Jason?"

Herobrine's hand stopped midair before he replied easily, "A wither. Ty would be able to give you more answers."

Sky cast a curious glance towards Ty, who didn't meet his gaze. Instead, he was looking towards Jason. The two turned when Herobrine finally whistled, high and long. When the thundering of heavy hooves could be heard, the ex-general swung himself over the balcony, dropping down below.

Once Herobrine was gone, Ty immediately made his way over to Jason's sleeping form. He looked much better, but his skin was in patches of ashy gray, and his hair had grown dull. Sky joined his side, about to ask what his captain was doing when he suddenly grabbed a hold of Jason's undershirt and pulled down, exposing his collarbone.

Sky was about to reprimand Ty for invading Jason's privacy, but was halted when he saw the pink scars on Jason's collarbone.

W-143
SW-01

"What the hell..."

Sky looked from the pink scarring to Ty, about to demand answers when he saw the look on his captain's face. The man was frozen, eyes widened. After long, painful moments of silence and staring, he whispered hoarsely.

"We're from the same facility."

-

Markus reread the letter one last time, before setting it down. He had a smile on his face, and he neatly folded the letter. After a long while, his brother was finally going to visit him. He had longed to see him again. The past few months were just work, work, work. If Hero was still around, maybe they could go down to the market, mingle with the people-

Ah, who was he kidding.

Markus ducked his head, leaning back against his desk chair. That life was long gone. Jeb was busy, he always was. He was just like Hero, a workaholic. The only breaks either had were instigated with a pleading Markus. However, the king rarely saw both anymore. Jeb had thrown himself into work ever since Markus publicly declared him heir to the throne. He spoke to Hero about it, and got his approval.

Jeb wasn't too fond of the idea though.

He had begun avoiding Markus at all costs. The king sighed, wringing his hands together nervously. He needed to catch him and have a proper talk with him. Ever since Hero... Left, Markus stopped his flings. He became the true king his people deserved, one king that Hero would be proud of. He didn't marry, devoted to his people, and thus didn't have children.

Hero didn't have any either. He hardly slept around, married to his duties. In fact, Markus had never seen him have fun ever since their rebellion days, where he caught his older brother intimately locked with men and women alike. After they became king and general however, the relationships stopped. They were the only ones with royal blood yet they had no heirs to pass the throne to. Jeb had joined their little band of misfits as a younger brother, but he had grown distant with Markus ever since Hero left.

It scared Markus to think that maybe Jeb hated Hero. Hated him for leaving them, hated him for what he did. After all, Hero wasn't too keen on Jeb's presence on their lives at first. He did warm up, after much convincing.

Markus shook his head. He could tell all of this once Hero arrives. Even when he was far, Hero remained the best older brother he always was, looking out for him. He always asked for Jeb as well, frowning whenever he was told the same thing again and again.

The cold breeze made him shiver. Autumn was arriving. Hero's birthday was arriving. Markus spent years on his gift. He just hoped he would accept it.

He heard footsteps on the balcony. Ah. He was home.

He turned around.

"Hero, welcome-"

Overwhelming pain then darkness.