Another chapter I have mixed feelings about. I wish that it was a bit longer... Oh well! I hope you like it! X3
And again, I apologize for any mistakes...
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Grayson's point of view-

My body froze, shaking in fear and because of the freezing winter air. The rain had stopped pouring down, allowing the infamous beast to emerge from hiding. My eyes locked gazes on the Enderman standing before me, it's purple eyes shining in the dark. The color that Drake's Enderman eye used to be before it's color started to slowly fade. A moment too late, I realized my mistake.
The Enderman vanished in a fog of Ender particles, an ear piercing screeching filling the air. My heart pounded in my chest, holding my sword tightly with a trembling hand. I know how dangerous Endermen can be, especially when aggravated. I'm glad that Drake doesn't have the temper of a fullblood Enderman. My eyes darted around, waiting for the beast to show it's face.
Suddenly, I could hear the screeching directly behind me. I spun around, swiftly swinging my blade in hopes that I wasn't too late to make the first move. Unfortunately, we both moved simultaneously, the tip of my blade cutting into it's long chest with scaly thin skin. At the same moment, it's long claw like fingers collided with my right arm, ripped my jacket and shirt, cutting deep into my skin. The force was so strong that it knocked me off of my feet. I let out a cry as my body went flying, and landed, rolling on the mud.
I grunted, and hissed in pain as I pushed myself up onto my knees. I looked down at the wound, stinging as blood seeped from the large gashes. I covered it, getting back up to my feet as I growled. My eyes searched for the Enderman, waiting for it to show it's face again as I held my sword.

  "Grayson, look out!" Endy called out, pointing behind me.

I spun around, immediately swinging my blade in defense. A loud screeching rung out once more, as my blade glided through the Enderman's long fingers of its right hand. The pointed, scaly fingertips fell to the mud as they were cut away from the monster's body, light purple blood spraying onto my own body.
Once again, it teleported out of my sight, leaving me to look blankly at the path of burnt and broken trees. I spun around again, hearing a strange sound behind my back. There, the Enderman appeared once more, it's purple eyes glowing in rage, and it's mouth hanging open, showing sharp teeth as it let out another ear piercing roar. The purple blood in it's veins seemed to be glowing beneath it's black skin, boiling with anger.
As it was about to charge at me, it was struck in the back with a violet light. It teleported again, letting out a screech of pain. As it vanished and the light slowly faded, I saw Endy standing there with her arm stretched out and hand glowing.

  "Thanks." I gasped out, trying to catch my breath.

Suddenly, the tall figure materialized behind her, before letting out an agonizing roar. She spun around with a gasp, looking up into the enraged Enderman's eyes, swiftly moving her arm up to attack. She swung her blade, and fired a blast of magic at it. The blast collided with the chest of the wild beast, with Endy's blade cutting into it's knees. It let out on last shriek with purple light shining brightly from it's mouth. It's body turning into dust and ash, while the purple light remained, slowly fading into the darkness.

  "Alright... I think it's finally dead." She said as she looked over her shoulder at me, gasping to get air in and out of her lungs.

Then in the dark, I saw a strange creature emerge from the trees, creeping up behind the girls. It's mouth hung wide open with only two eye sockets, but could still see. It's skin was like the summer grass, with a long body and four short legs. It's ribs were visible through its thin skin. It hissed like a snake, the noise getting louder the closer it got to my companions.

  "Behind you!" I called out, readying to charge at the monster.

They turned around, both letting out a scream at the horrifying beast. Before either of them could try to slice the creature with their blades, it's chest started to expand, with a white light shining inside of it's green chest. My eyes widened, suddenly remembering this type of monster that I hadn't seen in so long. They have been known a tendency to explode when close enough to a victim. The infamous Creeper...
All of the sudden in a white light, it's body exploded before the girls, sending them flying back. My eyes widened as I gasped fearing for their current safety. The ground was blown up, leaving behind a large crater in the soil where the Creeper and my friends once stood. Mia and Endy's bodies laid on the wet dirt, both groaning in pain from the force of impact.
I ran up to them, looking both of them over, fearing that they were badly injured or worse. The two girls pushed themselves up, Mia coughing as she did so. They got back onto their feet, both of them with their knees wobbling underneath them.

  "Ow." Mia hissed out. "That hurt..."

  "You guys weren't hurt too bad, right?" I asked in concern.

Endy rubbed her arm, letting out a hiss. "It's nothing too serious. We're fine. Right, Mia?"

Mia rubbed her aching arm as well. "I guess. Still...it was painful."

I adjusted the strap on my backpack, looking over my shoulder to see little purple ender particles rising from the egg. It was still safe and secure. My eyes looked back at the Mage and elf, seeing them with a few new injuries, but it was nothing too bad.
I looked up into the sky, noticing that the lightning had become drastically less intense and frequent. The clouds were beginning to move, showing the black sky with blue beginning to peek out from over the distant mountains. The moon shined bright in the blackness. If the lightning stopped...then did that mean that Herobrine wasn't in control anymore? I wondered how Luke and Lalea were doing, and more importantly, if they managed to rescue Drake.

  "Let's get back to the cave. The sun should be rising soon." I said, walking down the path covered in rubble.

The girls were following behind me, quiet for awhile. I looked down at my clothes, seeing my old dried up blood and new crimson liquid soaking into my torn sleeve. I hissed at the pain again, covering the wound with my gloved hand. It stung as I moved a piece of the torn and bloody cloth on my sleeve, seeing new bandages just above my new injuries. They must have patched it up after I passed out. Some of the blood from my new injuries soaked into the trim of the bandages.

Endy's voice suddenly caught my attention. "So.. No one explained anything to me in detail. What's going on with Drake? I understand that he's possessed, but I'm curious to know why."

I looked over my shoulder at her. Mia looked at her, then back at me. Both of them had wide eyes, one anticipation for me to tell the tale, and the other filled with uncertainty if I was comfortable with telling it or not. I took in a deep breath, looking back ahead before I closed my eyes.

  "You really want to know? Well..."

I opened my eyes, taking in a deep breath once again. "For a long time, Drake has been chased down by a demon known as...Herobrine. He...and an old friend of ours named Armen. One day, they suddenly appeared at where I lived, with no memory of how they got there. I let them stay, and somehow they were able to remember."

  "Armen sacrificed himself to save us from Herobrine, and we thought he was dead, but we were wrong. Herobrine merged with Armen, and he became his vessel."

Endy interrupted. "You mean that new body he had with black hair and that one faint blue eye?"

Well, it was cyan, but close enough. "Yeah. Herobrine stole that body from Armen to keep himself alive. So, Drake tried to save Armen by taking Herobrine out of his body, but somehow a part of Herobrine merged with him instead."

I continued to tell her everything. From when Drake and I reunited to Armen's death and our second departure. I told her of when all three of us reunited once more, and our plans to get to the Drago' hatchery. Then came the parts that were difficult for me to say in words coming from my own mouth. I had to have Mia assist me.

  "After we left the Red keep, Herobrine was starting to be able to control Drake more frequently. Drake was getting more and more sick by the day...and... He started having mental breakdowns."

Mia continued for me. "One day, Herobrine took control of him and he fell into a coma afterwards. He woke up a week later and had another breakdown, but it was worse. It was like Herobrine was trying to get him to kill us, so he panicked and ran off to protect us."

She closed her eyes and looked down, before opening her lime green orbs again. "Unfortunately, he was captured by the empire and tortured until three days later we were finally able to rescue him."

My eyes began to fill with tears at the dark memories involving my best friend. He's been hurt so much, and I could have prevented everything. One month and three days. One month I abandoned him and left him alone when I should have searched for him throughout the days and night, but I didn't even bother with that stupid egg clouding up what was really important; being there for him when he needed me.
Three days he was at the empire, being abused on his body and in his mind. I remembered that broken look he had on his face when Mia, Luke and I made it to the palace. I was too late to keep him from being scarred. Too late to keep him from losing part of his ear and being driven insane from being cut open while he was still conscious. I have failed him so much.

Tears started to go down my cheeks, as I choked on every breath I took. "I... I never wanted this to h-happen. I wasn't there when he needed me! I wasn't there to keep him from falling apart! Herobrine is messing with his head, and I can't stop it!"

I stopped in my tracks, my fingers digging painfully into my own palms as I clutched my fist tightly. I gritted my teeth, even more salty tears dripping down my face, my wet hair matted down on my forehead and the the bridge of my nose. I growled at myself, guilt and sorrow and pity for him washing over me.

  "I want to so desperately help him... I promised to get Herobrine out of his body and stop his suffering! With my entire heart and everything I am, I want, no, I need to save him! I won't give up on him. I'm tired of breaking promises, and I sure as h**l am not breaking my promise to Drake if I can help it!"

I looked up into the sky once more, once again wondering what was going on with Drake. I sniffed, yet another tear slipping out from under one of my eye lids. Is he being tortured as we speak, or was his mind completely black while he was possessed? Was he okay? Of course not...
I jumped, feeling a hand on my right shoulder. I looked to my side, seeing Mia there with her green hood blocking the rain from hitting her face. She had a halfhearted smile on her face and sympathetic look in her bright lime green eyes.

  "Grayson... Drake will be okay." She tried to assure me yet again. A recurring, but welcomed thing.

  "You haven't broken your promise to him. I'm as determined to save him as you are. He's my friend, and like you said, we look after each other and don't abandon one another. We'll get him back, go to the Drago' hatchery and see what we can do from there."

I took in deep breath, rubbing the tears from my eyes. I don't think I've cried this much in the past two weeks since my family died. It's just been an emotional roller coaster since we left the Red keep. No, even before the cultists captured us. Ever since we all reunited my emotions were everywhere. I smiled, looking at my elfin friend once more.

  "Thank you." I said, my smile growing wider.

I would have asked her to promise not to give up on him, but I know how hard it can be to keep a promise. Besides, I trust Mia. My chest suddenly had pressure lifted from it, a small flicker of hope reigniting within my heart.

  "We'll save him. We will get rid of Herobrine and we will all be happy again! I... I know we will... We just have to keep trying. For Drake."
...

Luke's point of view-

The grotesque risen dead were surrounding us, slowing moving in for the kill. The rain stopped pouring, leaving us in only the sound of the zombies moaning and groaning. I held my sword up, my heart racing in my chest that was still aching from the airship crash. I growled, readying myself to fight for our survival.
My eyes looked down at Nathan, sitting on his knees on the mud. With one arm the on the ground, he held himself up, with the other arm on the largest gash on his abdomen. I knew that he was trying desperately to not pass out from blood loss, and it was honestly surprising to me that he was remaining conscious at this point.
I needed to stop these zombies and tend to him before he really did bleed out. If he really did feel apologetic to Drake, then maybe one way or another he could help us. I stepped defensively in front of Nathan and Lalea, holding my sword out with both of my hands on the hilt.
Lalea stepped up, standing by my side. Her fists ignited in blue flames that cast an ominous light on her body. I could hear her taking in deep breaths, her slow breathing getting staggered. I looked over to her, her hood covering her head, but I was able to get a glimpse of her face. Her eyes looked to be tearing up, which got me worried.
My head turned to look back at the walking corpses, swinging my blade into as one got too close for comfort. The iron traveled through it's neck, swiftly decapitating it. I lunged at another approaching zombie, thrusting the tip of my blade through its stomach. With my other arm, I grabbed the dagger in my belt next to Xavier's goggles, and stabbed the zombie through it's head.
My feet moved back, my eyes darting around to gaze at the face of every zombie making it's way towards us. I couldn't help by try to see if I recognized any of their faces, but I knew none of them. I wondered if the scent of Nathan's blood in the air would make the situation worse.
I was prepared for death, and honestly had been for awhile. Ever since we rescued Drake, as a matter of fact. I could recall when Grayson threatened to kill me after we rescued Drake, and I was prepared for my old friend to carry out that threat. I never expected him to keep me alive, because I don't deserve his mercy.

  "Lalea!" I called out, looking over my shoulder at her once more.

  "Take Nathan and get out of here! I'll hold them off!"

She snarled, before turning and firing a blast of flames at another zombie. Once again her aim was precise, hitting the walking corpse in the head. It hit with such force that the zombie's head was knocked clean off of it's shoulders. She faced me again, this time glaring at me with her dark blue eyes.

She barked out. "I am not leaving!"

I growled at her, stabbing another zombie through the head. "Lalea, I don't want you or Nathan to die! Just leave!"

  "I promised that if Drake ever lost control, I would protect his friends. You're his friend, therefore, I am not leaving your side."

I couldn't help but let a small grin appear on my face. I wasn't used to having someone willing to put down their life for me. I wasn't joking when I told Grayson that I was surprised that he seemed to care about me. Does Drake and Lalea and the others care about me too? Well, Xavier does, but the others I have wronged, I never expected any of them to grow to trust me. I'm thankful that they seemingly do.

  "Alright. Stay close, okay?"

She nodded, facing the horde of zombies again. She held up her firsts, the magic flames continuing to flicker and wave in the breeze. I looked back at my sword as I held it out, the blood dripping down the blade. The moonlight shined of of it, reflecting on the iron and crimson.

  "Nathan, if you feel strong enough, feel free to help us out." I could hear him groan in pain. He'll probably pass out if he even tries.

With that, I charged at the undead with a battle cry. I swung my sword at the first zombie, cutting it's head starting from the bottom of its ear and up sideways to the top of it's scalp, pushing the tip deep into it's head. I pulled the blade out, letting the body fall.
As I attacked the next, I could see the bright flashes of bright blue as Lalea's magic collided with Zombies left and right. I was sure that soon her mana would run out, meaning that we had to finish this battle quickly. Almost as if it was on cue, the blue flashes stopped and the female's voice called out.

"Luke! I'm out of mana!"

Great. That was sooner than I expected. I growled, running to her side knowing that she had no melee weapons to defend herself with. I jumped out in front of her, taking out the zombie that limped closest to her.

  "Don't worry. I'll take them out."

I began taking out as many as I could, my body covering in the blood of the undead corpses and my arms growing weak. I was breathing heavily, my strength beginning to waver.
I rose my sword up high, readying to take out some of the last few enemies, which I counted to be five more. Before I could bring it down on the monster's neck, an arrow embedded itself within the side of the zombie's head, it's blood gushing out. I watched the body fall backwards, before my eyes shifted to gaze at the badly injured and bleeding mercenary.
He let out deep huffs of breath that fogged up in the cold air, hid body shaking as he was now standing up with a straight spine. His trembling arm was outstretched to aim at where the zombie once stood, a beat up crossbow in his gloved hand. His baggy hazel eyes looked pain filled, his head tilted upwards a bit. He gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lip and scar on his right cheek.
He pulled another arrow out of his backpack, readying it in the crossbow. I assumed that he didn't want to waste ammo for his pistol. I smiled, before turning to continue the fight between the living and undead. I decapitated yet another one of the zombies, as Nathan shot another in the head. Nathan pulled a sword out of the dead zombies sheath, looking up at Lalea as another zombie approached her.

  "Lalea, heads up!" He tossed it in the air, the sword lading on the ground in front of her.

She swiftly picked it up from the mud, and swung it at one of the last two walking undead. The blade cut through its neck, slitting its throat, but it still didn't fall. I ran up behind it, finishing the job by swiftly cutting it's head off. It was strange doing so, with the heads not decaying like I was used to seeing with normal zombies.
After Lalea thanked me, my attention turned to the last zombie that limped towards Nathan. He shot at it with his crossbow, the arrow going through it's left eye that had already rolled to the back of it's head, leaving the eye with no iris or pupil. The body fell as he put the crossbow away into a strap on the side of his backpack. I noticed that he was starting to shake more violently on his legs as if struggling to stand, before he suddenly collapsed.

  "Nathan!" Lalea and I both called out.

We both ran to him as fast as we could, with myself falling to my knees once I reached him. I rolled him over, seeing his eyes closed and his skin more pale than I remembered. Grabbing his wrist, I placed my index and middle finger on the vital area to check for a pulse. I felt his heartbeat, faint but present. I let a sigh of relief.

I looked up at Lalea. "He's alive, but losing a lot of blood."

I took off my backpack, and searched through it. I was able to find a roll of bandages, but I was almost out. I handed it to Lalea, talking to her as I stood and walked to a corpse laying on the muddy ground. I searched through it's leather backpack, looking for extra bandages that we could use for future use.

  "Patch him up as much as you can. I want him to stay alive."

She nodded, then took off his coat to wrap up his wounded chest more easily. My gloved hands wrapped around something soft and round inside of the pack. I pulled it out, happy to see that it was in fact a new roll of bandages, still clean and soft, but wet from the rain seeping into the backpack. Lucky us! I put them in my own backpack, standing up and putting the straps back over my iron shoulder pads. I rose my hand up to my face, pulling down my black mask.
I looked over my shoulder at the Mage and mercenary that had fallen out cold, watching as Lalea lifted him up to wrap his torso. I stood there, waiting for her to finish as she start wrapping his arms and legs, his brown clothing now with patches of white and red. Once she finished, I turned around and walked up to them, readjusting my yarn knitted hat on my head.
I kneeled down as Lalea put his coat back on his shaking, cold body. I then lifted him up, and put his body over my right shoulder. I could feel his heavy breathing on my back with the shaking of his body sending vibrations down my upper right side.

  "Let's go..." I said with a low tone, feeling exhausted. I turned on my heels, and headed to the tall dark green trees.

It was dark in the forest, with the chirping of crickets and bushes getting in our way. Luckily were able to get through the vegetation fairly easily. For some reason, I kept recalling out battle with the undead, my heart still pumping fast from adrenaline. My body was still slightly weak, but I was managing.

I chuckled, remembering what Lalea had said earlier. "You must really care about Drake."

Her brow lifted, her cheeks getting slightly red in the darkness. I gave her a smug look. "You know, crush wise?"

She blushed even more, turning her head away from me. I found amusement in the look on her face. "Shut up! I..."

That was all I needed to hear to know that it was true. I laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell him. Promise." If we ever got him back.

I was so disappointed in myself that I didn't rescue Drake from that demon. I told Grayson that I would, now he's going to be mad at me that I have failed. I let out a sigh, wondering where exactly that hybrid was now. We're he and the others still okay?
...

Xavier's point of view-

I couldn't... I couldn't believe that my wife was gone. My whole life was falling apart so fast and so suddenly. Everything I had worked and sacrificed so much for was gone. My heart was shattered, the pieces piercing me inside. Tears covered my burning face as I choked and sobbed. She's dead... How could this have happened?
I held her limp body against my own, so cold and lifeless. Her eyes that were once so beautiful now dim and glazed over. My tears dripped down onto her pale cheeks, some of her messy hair matted down on her face. I brushed the strands aside, my chest aching inside. I've never felt this much pain, not even when my parents were killed. My hand rested over her eyelids, letting her close them one last time.
I laid her body gently onto the ground, my vision blurring as I stood. My vision cleared, letting me look down upon her still form, blood still seeping from her wound. Could I have done something to stop this from happening? Could I have saved her from this brutal fate? I clenched my fists, sorrow behind replaced by rage. I can't recall the last time I truly felt anger, and it was a feeling I absolutely hated.
My hand pulled another kunai from my belt, as my head turned to face the unconscious hybrid. He killed her... This is his fault! I marched toward him, growling as I tried to hold back screams of rage and anguish. He killed my love. He took her away, now I'll never see her again! All of our laughs and the times we were there to cry on each other's shoulders, never again would happen. And unlike my physical wounds, my heart can never heal. And he is to blame...
I rose my weapon up high once I was above him, my anger clouding every other feeling in my mind. Kill him, average Sylvia, and end his own suffering as well as the suffering of others. Bring closure to the ones that he has murdered! I readied myself to end his life, my arm shaking as I hesitated.
My teary eyes shot open wide, realizing what I was doing. I can't kill him. He was possessed; it wasn't really his fault! But...if only he had gained control sooner. I slowly put my kunai away, before my aching knees gave out underneath me. I fell down on my knees in front of Drake, my hands raising up to cover my eyes filling with tears once more.

  "D-daddy?" My daughter's soft, but shaking voice called.

I snapped. "Don't come out here!"

I never yelled at her before, but I didn't want her to see her mother's corpse anymore than she probably already could. I looked down at my hands, with Sylvia's blood covering my gloves. How can I raise a little girl on my own? She needs a mother to be there while she grows up, to help her with problems. She needs a female role model. I can not do this on my own.
My tear filled eyes looked up at Drake, his sleeping state looking anything but peaceful. He's dangerous. How could Luke and everyone be so willing to risk their lives for him?! I watched him twitch and stir, but he did not regain consciousness. He is going to be the death of all of us.
I shook my head, putting one arm underneath his legs and the other on his back. I grunted as I picked him up from the ground, his weight making my knees buckle underneath me. A part of me wanted to leave him out in the cold and keep him as far away from my daughter as possible, but Luke and Grayson will kill me if I left him out here.
I turned on my heels, taking him back to the cave. Droplets of water fell onto my head as I passed the gaping entrance of our shelter. Jane stepped aside, her body quivering and face covered in tears. Did she know what was happening? Was she aware that her mother was...gone? I held back sobs at the thought that she and I were now alone. I needed Sylvia to lean on when I needed support. She and my daughter were what kept me going when the odds were stacked against me. How am I supposed to keep living on now? It will never, ever be the same...
I set Drake down in the darkness, feeling his breath against me before I could properly let him go. It was burning, and his face was so pale yet he had red cheeks, with his nose and human ear also red from a fever like I had. I stood up straight, looking down at him before I heard Jane whimper.
I spun around, looking at my little girl in the eyes. They were red, and filled with tears, which made me want to cry even more.

  "J-Jane, sweetie?" I said with my voice shaking as I got down on my knees in front of her. My hand reached up, cupping her left cheek.

I didn't know what to say. "Do...do you understand...w-what's going on?" I just had to make sure.

She shook her head, her small hands rising up and her fingers entwining with each other. "When happened...to mommy?"

I took in a deep, choked up breath. How do you tell a child that her mother is dead? I swallowed a lump in my throat, tears going down my face yet again, feeling like a river leaving my eyes. My mouth became dry and as I opened it, feeling as if I couldn't speak. My body was aching, especially my chest. I felt like throwing up, but I could let myself just yet.

  "H-honey, y-your..."

I didn't want to be the one to tarnish her innocence, but I had no way to keep this from her. Either way, Sylvia wasn't coming back to us... What was I supposed to say? Lie, or tell her the truth, because no matter what I tell her, it would break her heart. I can't lie. She'll find out soon enough.

  "Y-your mother...isn't coming b-back..."

She choked and whimpered, tears beginning to run down her face. Before I could wipe them away, her arms wrapped tightly around me, squeezing around my neck. I heard her crying on my shoulder pad, her fingers digging into my skin above my bloody and torn clothing. My arms wrapped around her, trying not to hold her so tight, but just enough to try to give her some type of comfort. I closed my sore eyes, letting another tear slip through.

Third person point of view-

The mercenaries ran through the forest, heading to where the lightning strikes were once plaguing the area. The storm had stopped so abruptly, it was almost unnatural, but unbeknownst to them the lightning storm wasn't natural to begin with. They continued in their stride, with legs aching and lungs begging for air as they did not rest. Finally, they came to the clearing of destruction.
The trees and parts of the ground destroyed. Bodies and pools of blood were scattered about, showing what had happened in the earlier massacre. All three of them were in shock by the thought of what chaos had taken place only moments ago.

  "Captain...these are our men. Their all dead." One of the mercenaries said, bending down next to a corpse, checking it's vitals but found nothing.

Henry put away his sword, slightly disappointed that it didn't seem that he'd be able to use it. He looked around at what was now like a graveyard, taken aback by the sight. It was so long ago since he had seen this many corpses; back when Grayson was still the commander of the imperial armies.

  "Search the perimeter for any threats." He ordered.

The other mercenaries saluted him. "Yes sir!"

They began to walk around, looking behind the trees. Henry walked over the bodies, looking at each face that he recognized. Deep down inside he felt remorse and guilt for sending them all to their deaths, but had been doing this for so long that those feelings were pushed to the back of heart and mind. It no longer fazed him, and became a normal thing over time.
That was something he taught himself over the years. Never get attached to anyone, because they will die on the field anyway. When you've seen death so many times, your heart almost becomes like stone, but not entirely.
That was one reason he was hard on Nathan. He knew that the kid wasn't cut out for what he was getting himself into, but the boy was a bit too stubborn to understand at the time. Now the boy knew what came with the job, seeing people you care about die and having to take the lives of others. He wondered if Nathan was any one of the bodies lying before him.

  "Captain, there appears to be nothing around. The area is secure." The mercenary came back, approaching from his left.

He continued. "What are we going to now? It appears that many of the soldiers sent out have perished. Do we continue with the search?"

The captain looked out at the vast sea of bodies once more, thinking about how many airships and other mercenaries were probably still out there. Did anyone escape that demon hybrid's rampage this time around? Did they really stand a chance with the current low number of his squad, now that most of them were dead?

He turned back to his men, tugging at the collar of his coat. "We have no choice but to call a retreat."

He turned on the heels of his leather boots, and began to march back into the direction they came. "We have to inform the emperor and ask for more allies to assist us. The three of us alone cannot take Grayson and the hybrid by ourselves."

  "But the emperor's going to be p***ed!"

The captain stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder at him. "I don't really care. I already got my money, and that's all that matters to me." He let out a small chuckle.

He shrugged, turning away from his men and continued walking. "Besides, it's either we go back and get more assistance, or we all die out here. What would you rather choose?"

The other two mercenaries looked at each other, both uncomfortable with either situation. The emperor sometimes was easy with Henry, as he came off as a good captain because he would often lie to the king. On the other hand, when it came to capturing that hybrid and the dragon egg thief, they knew that the emperor wasn't going to let them off with failing so easily.
Then the two looked back at the graveyard of their dead comrades. The bodies looked to be slaughtered in brutal ways, most with pain filled, glazed over open eyes, and mouths hanging open from when they let out their last agonizing screams. Shivers went up their spines at the thought of being brutally slaughtered by that Enderman hybrid with that terrifying glowing white eye, imagining the agony they would endure.

  "The emperor." They both said in union, agreeing that facing him could be better than facing a demon head on with no assistance.

Henry chuckled again, putting his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Exactly. Now shut up and quit complaining."
...

Grayson, Mia, and Endy ran down the muddy path, trying not to slip and fall into the mud. A skeleton stood ahead on the path, readying its bow in it's hand. The elf pulled out her pink sword, charging at the beast. Before the monster could release the arrow, Mia's blade swung down, shattering the top of it's skull. The body fell down limp. Grayson and Endy stopped behind her, trying to catch their breath.

  "Good work, Mia." Grayson gasped out.

  "It was nothing." Mia replied, moving a piece of her hair away from her face.

They readied to continue in their stride to get back to their hideout, until the the Mage with black hair called out for them to wait. The two blondes faced her, waiting for her reason. Her eyes were darting around, her hand grabbing the handle of her blade.

Her eyes widened as she let out a gasp. "It's Lalea and Luke! But... They are not alone."

Grayson and Mia's eyes widened. They looked at each other, before looking back at the pale girl. Grayson took a step forward, his heart racing.

  "Is Drake with them?!"

Endy shook her head, looking to her left into the trees. "Unfortunately no, it's not Drake. I don't know who they are with. They're too close together for them not to know if they're being followed or not."

Suddenly, there was rustling in the trees, not too far away from them. Grayson and Mia pulled out their blade, remaining cautious for anyone unwelcomed that might appear. Grayson let out a growl from annoyance that Luke and Lalea didn't bring back Drake. As well as from anger for anyone who meant them harm that might have been lurking about in trees before them.
Suddenly the Mage in the blue and gold outlined cloak emerged from the dark vegetation, her hood casting ominous shadows over her face. The assassin walked out behind her, but the other three were filled with alarm to see him with a person over his shoulder. Luckily the man he held seemed to be out cold. They put away their blades, as the two walked closer.

  "Guys!" Lalea called out, a smile on her face. "I'm glad you all seem to be okay."

Mia tilted her head. "Yeah, but... Who's he?" She pointed to Nathan's unconscious form.

Grayson growled again in anger. "He's a mercenary, isn't he? Why do you have him?! We have no need for hostages!"

Luke spoke up. "He's not a hostage! He's the one that helped us at the empire, and I think he wants to help us again."

The blonde man snarled. "How could you be so sure? He could just stab us in the back!"

  "If he does, then we could just kill him. We just have to keep an eye out for him. Besides, he knows Drake, and I'm curious to know their relationship, and why he decided to help us at the throne room."

Grayson let out a huff, remembering when the kid had helped him save Drake. Even though he did help them get Drake back, he still didn't trust him. The boy could have killed him at the palace, and even though he didn't, that only made Grayson's chance of trusting the boy lessen.

He gave in. "Fine, but when we get back to the cave I expect you to tie him up if we have any rope. I'm not going to trust him so easily."

Luke nodded. They continued down the path, with Luke and Grayson near the front, Mia a bit behind the boys, and the two Magi lingering behind in the back. Luke talked to the ex-commander, apologizing that they hadn't retrieved their hybrid friend. The blonde didn't reply, making the assassin's chest ache with guilt. It was all so consuming and suffocating.

Endy turned to Lalea, a sorrowful expression on her face as she whispered. "So do they know?"

Lalea turned her head, confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

Endy closed her violet eyes , turning her head again as she let out a sigh. "You know, Drake's mana corruption. Do they know about it?"

  "Not...exactly. Obviously they know that he's sick, but Drake and I haven't told them how serious it is because...we think that if we can get that demon out of his body, then he could be cured."

Endy whispered a reply, her voice low. "What if it doesn't? Even if it does, his mental state isn't in the best condition. You know that."

A lump formed in Lalea's throat, her eyes starting to tear up. She didn't like thinking about Drake's illness, and how it was killing him. Mainly, she didn't like thinking about Drake's declining sanity. She just wanted to remember his kindness, and his determination when it came to protecting and keeping his friends happy. She wanted to think of the good, and not the bad. Of when he made her feel happy.

  "Let's not talk about that. Please."

Endy nodded in understanding, but it still tugged at the back of her mind, not wanting to leave. She shook her head, trying to think of a different, less touchy subject. She smiled, thinking of another interesting conversation topic.

  "Okay. Do...you like Drake, as in like-like him? You know what I'm talking about, right?"

The blue haired Mage felt her cheeks start to burn as her face turned red. How did she know? Well, she did talk about him a lot while Grayson was passed out. She grabbed her arm in slight embarrassment that her childhood friend had realized so soon. Unfortunately Drake didn't seem to get the hint, but then again his mind was too clouded with anguish and darkness to really focus of the hints. It made her sad to think about.

  "Y-yeah...I do have a bit of a crush on him, I guess." She admitted.

She remembered when she first laid eyes on him. It felt like a love at first sight situation. Even when his body was battered and covered in sweat and blood, she felt an immediate attraction to him, and getting to know him made her feelings stronger. He was just so interesting and thoughtful, and an amazing friend.

Endy chuckled. "I knew it! You always said that you didn't trust love... I guess he sparked something in you that you never know you could feel. I'm happy for you!"

Endy's smile faded, as she messed with her fingers. She knew that Drake wasn't in a good condition at all, and she was worried that they wouldn't be able to safe him on time. As far as they knew, Drake was still possessed somewhere out there.
She looked out of the corner of her eye at her friend, knowing how Lalea felt towards the hybrid. Lalea knew that Drake could lose control and kill her. She had seen Drake loose himself  and watched him fall apart, and yet Lalea was devoted to him. She searched for refuge in him, no matter how much of a mess he had become. That was true love.

Endy chuckled with a smile, before that smile faded. "I... I'm sorry for saying this but..."

The blue haired Mage looked at her, glaring at her as she waited for what she was going to say. The way she said it, made it sound like something she would not like to hear. Still, she listened with open ears and anticipation.

  "I think you need to tell him how you feel."

Lalea looked at her, with her heart beginning to race. She swallowed a lump in her throat, her chest starting to ache. She wanted to, she really did, but she could not get her words out to him. There was so much he had to focus on, and she didn't want to throw something else into the pile. What if he didn't feel the same? She didn't want things to turn awkward between them.

Lalea looked down, her cheeks growing red yet again. "You don't understand. It's harder than it seems."

Endy sighed. "I know that it will be difficult, but I think it will be for the best. I just want you be happy. Besides, with the condition he is in..."

She looked up ahead of herself at Mia and the boys. She didn't want to say it, but she felt like she had to. She wanted her friend to have some type of closure one way or another when it came to Drake. Endy took in another deep breath before continuing, her next words making the love sick Mage's eyes fill with tears. She knew that her words were true...

  "You don't know how much time you will have left with him before it is too late."