Hero dropped off Kaizer with Helena again. He told the spider about his trouble finding the colt a proper home. Helena offered to take care of him, and would be on the lookout for any horses who would be willing to take him in. They would provide protection and food for him. Kaizer was still a little upset about it, not wanting to leave Hero. He had asked why he could not follow Hero.

Hero did not tell him about the Shifter. Anyone who stayed close to him had a high chance of being ripped away. He did not want a repeat of Noah, especially to someone as young as Kaizer.

He promises Kaizer that he would return every once in a while, and sets out again.

○

Hero had a few interesting months.

He got captured by some scientists and was taken to a facility. It was one branch of many others, yet it was not one where Noah, Helena and Hugo had came from. Hero's murderer reputation built up and caused a hype in the facility. They tested on him, trying to get his DNA. Once they did, Hero escaped, and burnt his DNA and records. He made everyone escape. He met a kid, took him to his old friend, the ender dragon.

Yeah, he ventured into the End realm one day. The ender dragon did not like him.

The ender dragon did not like anyone, so he left with the kid and taught him the basics of surviving in the wild. He warned creatures not to harm the kid, as he was associated with himself. The creatures obeyed, and he let the kid do as he please and left.

Because of all the bullcrap Hero had to go through the past few months, he was exhausted.

He did not expect anything to happen to him when he was sitting on top of a waterfall. His legs dangled over the edge as he watched water drop down below. He was relaxing with multiple elements surrounding him. Earth, the rock and forest he was in. Air, wind blowing against his face sweeping him into bliss. Water, pooling below his dangling feet. He shut his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to let his usually tense muscles relax.

His peace was interrupted when a force collided with him from behind, and he was sent to the water down below. He twisted his body easily midair, and he saw gleaming teal eyes before his body crashed into the water. He felt hands frantically scratching down his body. He felt fingers rake down his cheek, but he tried desperately to keep his mouth shut. His eyes burned underwater, but he glared fiercely at the Shifter, who was in the form of a man he did not recognize.

The Shifter let out an eerie grin, and Hero realized that the fucker could breathe underwater too. The teal eyes gleamed as he reached out for Hero's neck. They were still sinking, but Hero kicked as hard as he could, before he forced the current to pull him up. He looked down at the Shifter, who screamed at him while Hero bent the water to pull him deeper. Hero narrowed his eyes mockingly at the bastard then emerged from the water.

He took a great gulp of air, and shook his head to shake the water out of his ears. His limbs ached so he let the current pull him to shore. As soon as he reached the bank, a great splash was heard behind him. Hero swerved around and started to drag himself out of the water when he spotted the Shifter, who was in the form of a male siren. The siren attempted a song, but Hero smirked and flipped him off.

"Doesn't work on me. Try again, shithead."

Hero could not help but tease, even if he was in a near death situation. He was weird like that. The male siren stopped his song, but smirked. Hero watched as he switched form again, and the Swede halted in his escape.

In the siren's place, in the water, was Mr. Yale.

Hero's eyes widened. The Shifter was able to take the form of one of his childhood parental figures. Derrek had said that the Shifter only took forms of his victims, which meant...

Hero screamed, his hoarse voice full of fury, "You killed him!"

Mr. Yale-The Shifter smirked and spoke. Hero winced as the similarities went as deep as his voice. "Just like you killed many other people. Not much of a difference."

Hero looked down at his hands as he panted heavily, eyes wide. He did not notice the Shifter swim closer to the bank, closer to him, licking his lips eagerly. He continued to speak in Mr. Yale's voice, "Yes... That's right. You're a monster."

Hero could feel the beginnings of a trauma-induced panic attack. His breathing grew harsh, and he felt extremely cold. His fingers dug harshly into the soil, and he did not feel the Shifter caress his calf as he emerged from the water. The Shifter's wet fingers lifted his chin as he tried to calm himself down. The Shifter was still in Mr. Yale's form, even as opened his jaws to reveal sharp teeth ready to bite deep into Hero's neck that would soon kill Hero after a few seconds of bleeding out.

That was when Hero snapped to reality.

His eyes snapped up to the Shifter who was a second away from slamming his jaws down on one of Hero's major arteries. All of Hero's military training prepared him for this and twisted his body, and his neck away from the jaws. The Shifter shut his teeth around thin air and his teal eyes took a moment to process what had happened. Hero was on his feet in front of him, and they made eye contact.

Hero silently summoned his military rifle into his hands, and cocked it at the Shifter. He reacted immediately, standing up too. He braced himself and growled angrily at Hero, still in Mr. Yale's form. He spoke again, and the rifle trembled in Hero's hands. He felt like the rifle could slip any moment.

"Put that down... It's me! Don't you remember me, son?"

Hero grew furious and he spat, "No! No, it isn't you! Why can't you leave me alone!"

He shut his eyes and pulled the trigger. The gunshot triggered birds from flying from their trees. Hero opened his eyes after a moment, and saw nothing but turquoise blood on the grass. It was fresh, and definitely from the Shifter. Hero started panting heavily again, as images flashed in his head. Images of himself shooting the actual Mr. Yale to death. He dropped the rifle, and it collided with the soil with a thud that seemed too loud for Hero's ears. He soon joined it on the ground, and put his head in his hands.

○

Hero was not alright, and he never will be.

He came to that conclusion when he reached the North months later. He met with Kaizer again, who was raised by a young and kind mare. The colt had grown quickly, and towered over Hero. His black coat was well taken care of, and gave off a beautiful sheen when Hero watched him gallop through a meadow. Hero had whistled a tune out of boredom, and Kaizer ran to his side, alert.

Kaizer remained loyal to Hero, always hearing out his whistle. They grew closer and developed an odd bond. Hero's whistle could be heard from miles away by Kaizer, and Kaizer alone. The horse would suddenly be filled with unlimited energy, and would gallop full speed towards his friend. Hero speculated whether his own power and magic had been imprinted on Kaizer, but they did not question it too much. Kaizer was an exceptional horse, much more bigger, stronger and faster than any other horse. He was accepted into a herd, and grew to be their lead stallion.

Hero had missed his home, his castle, so he called for Kaizer in the middle of the night. Hero soon heard the thundering of hooves and the stallion was there next to him. He apologized to Kaizer with loads of apples he had picked beforehand. After a bit of resting, Hero mounted Kaizer bareback and they headed towards the North. Hero missed being on a horse, and even practiced using a bow and arrow on Kaizer.

They stopped galloping once they reached the wall. Hero hugged Kaizer's neck tightly and teleported the both of them over the wall. They started at full speed again, until they reached a forest. It was the forest surrounding the kingdom and castle, so Kaizer slowed to a walk. They reached the walls separating the castle garden and forest, and Hero dismounted Kaizer. He patted the horse's snout and thanked him for the travel.

Kaizer watched his friend from the forest as Hero scaled the wall and jumped over to his old home. The grass had felt so foreign at his feet, and Hero walked towards the castle. He turned his head to see a head poke from a few apple trees. He sees the unicorn he had met years ago, and it whinnied melodiously to him as a greeting.

He nodded his head to it, before entering the castle. He was unsure of how much had changed in the castle, so he needed to lay low. He still remembered where Markus' bedroom was. At this time, Markus should be in there, probably asleep or getting ready to. Hero teleported from hallway to hallway until he reached the corridor where Markus' room lay. He knocked, and a bleary voice called out.

"Who is it?"

Hero's heart warmed at the sound of his brother's voice. He cleared his throat and called, "There's someone who'd like to see you, sir! It's urgent."

His ears picked up Markus' soft complaint on the other side of the door. "At this time? Damn."

He heard Markus get out of bed and stomp to the door. He heard Markus' hand settled on the knob and twist it. Hero prepared himself for the worst when the door swung open. He made eye contact with his brother, who changed a lot over the years. He looked more tired, and his height has reached its peak. He turned 33, after all. Hero saw the tiredness seep from Markus' face as his mouth opened in a gasp. Hero just smirked, waiting.

He did not expect to be pulled into his brother's arms.

He gasped a little when he was lifted off the floor, but patted his brother's back kindly. He could feel Markus smile against his shoulder, and once Hero felt tears, he pulled away. Markus took a moment to wipe away the tears of joy before he looked at his brother properly. The brothers smiled warmly at each other, and Markus whispered, "It's really you..."

Hero spoke, and Markus heard his brother's voice again after many years.

"I'm sorry."

○

After the tearjerking reunion, Markus was fully awake. He got out two bottles of alcohol from a hidden cabinet. Hero was a little shocked at first, but accepted the bottle. The two walked out to the balcony, and they clinked their bottles in cheers before they chugged. They laughed after the sweet burn of the alcohol down their throats. Markus remarked, "You... Certainly changed."

The king leaned back to look at his brother again. Hero had more muscle mass, but was still thin. There was something in Hero's white eyes too. They were full of raw emotion. They looked cold and dull, like Hero was an old war veteran whose military instincts never worn off. Now that Markus thought about it, Hero indeed was, but it did not fit how he looked. Hero still had that feminine angelic beauty, paired with his cruel military personality.

It was funny at first, but Markus knew that for Hero to get like that, he must have seen a lot of shit. Hero laughed a little. Markus was always a loud thinker, so he was able to hear every thought. The king looked at him like he was crazy. Hero explained, "I know what you're thinking, Markus. You're not too far from the truth, actually."

He took another swig of his bottle. Markus looked at him sadly, "I know. But... Why didn't you visit sooner?"

Hero sighed, "I needed to get..." He gestured to himself. "This under control first. If I met you earlier, you could have been hurt."

The younger of the two looked away before he whispered, "By you?"

Hero did not answer. They both knew the answer and did not want to speak of it. Markus felt stupid for asking that question anyways. Hero broke the awkward silence with a question, "How are you and Jeb?"

"Jeb misses you. A lot."

Hero frowns and Markus winces. The latter answered too fast and Hero felt a little unwelcome. It was not answering Hero's question so Markus tried to follow up, "Jeb graduated early. He's been doing great. He agreed to be my heir, but we had a little downfall because he did not feel he was the right person for the job."

Hero hummed against the bottle, and took another drink together with Markus. The king continued, "But he's getting better, and more confident too. He helps me with my speeches sometimes. He's brilliant, really."

Hero chuckled, "Just like I thought. And you?"

Markus looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment. He shrugged, "I'm fine, I guess. Just doing what I can for Minecraftia."

The white-eyed man blinked at the short answer, but he ignored it. "And the army?"

Markus winced and said, "Not too good. They're slacking. They're not as excellent as they used to be."

Hero rolled his eyes, "Knew it. I wished I could come back and torment them again."

The king turned with a hopeful glint in his eyes. Hero did not like it. "You could!"

Hero's throat let out an involuntary growl and Markus stepped back. Markus flinched when he saw the hurt in his brother's eyes and he stepped forward again. Hero just let out a softer growl and replied, "You know I can't, Markus. Minecraftia won't accept a serial killer as the general to their military defenses."

It was silent for a while before Markus said quietly, "We looked into your victims... 97% of them had criminal records, or were escaped convicts hiding right under our noses."

"And the 3% were innocent?"

Markus gulped, "Yes."

Hero snorted, "That's 3% too many. Even if they deserved it, I'm still a killer. I'm not normal. I have powers and if they spiral out of control, it's over."

Markus looked at his brother sadly. The two drank in silence, watching their-no, Markus' kingdom being bathed in moonlight. Markus made a remark of feeling cold and the wind immediately halted. The king looked over his brother, who smirked against his bottle. They drank until their bottles were empty and Hero asked...

"I need to talk to you regarding a law."

○

Hero promised Markus that he would visit whenever he could. They bid each other good luck and goodbye before Hero teleported back to Kaizer. The horse waited patiently and loyally at the forest. Markus was still at the balcony when he saw a horse and its rider zip through a meadow. Markus smiled to himself before going inside his room to catch up on well-needed sleep.

After three days, Hero stole the daily newspapers and right on the front, was an article with a picture of Markus speaking.

LAW FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF MAGIC FOLK INTO THE MINECRAFTIAN COMMUNITY

King Markus Alexej Persson (see below) had spoken to the kingdom regarding magic folk. The crowd who gathered were shocked once he mentioned magic folk. Some people were skeptical about their existence, while others were intrigued. Some had never even heard of such people.

King Persson had spoken about having recently been told of illegal executions taking place in Minecraftian villages. These executions are mostly carried out in public. These executions were the burning of suspected magic folk alive. That's right. Alive.

Churches expose people who have been under suspicion of being involved with magic. Without a trial, those suspects would be tied to a stake and burned by their village friends. Many were shocked to see such gore happening together with the massacre years ago.

Hero winced. He skipped to the important parts.

King Persson was joined by someone on stage. A young lady, who was a former rebellion soldier, was said to work at the royal castle as a maid. King Persson then went on to announce that she was a witch. The crowd had burst, shocked at how these magic folk were living right under their noses!

People still did not believe it, and so King Persson encouraged her to show what she could do. She proceeded to take out a long stick from her sleeve. A wand. People watched as she waved it intricately at King Persson. People have also observed that the guards on duty that day had almost tried to stop her. Soon, the king's crown was levitated from his head, and he had smiled up at it.

Afterwards, the witch had slid her wand across her arm. A cut was formed, and blood had dripped down to the stage floor. No one, even King Persson with his kind heart, made a move. The witch tapped her wand against the cut again and she allowed the crowd watch her skin form back together to close up.

She then spoke these words:

"Yes, I am a witch. Yes, I am real. Yes, this is real. Yes, there are others like me who can do what I have just done and many more. My mother was killed by execution, and I know many of my dear friends who have perished under the same hands. You may accuse us of black magic, but we have rules as well. We have a society, and we follow good morales. We have three types of magic that no magical person should perform unless given verified to. Blood magic, soul magic and black or dark magic. We would suffer the consequences if we did so, and you shouldn't worry. We are your closeted friends, and I assure that we are able to help Minecraftia as well as any of you can."

Her speech was moving, and soon King Persson announced that a new law should pass. Magic folk would be given the same rights given to normal people. Crimes against these people would have the same consequences if the same crimes were committed to normal civilians. Soon, closeted magic folk had begun to tell their friends and loved ones. Minutes after the speech, wands had poked out from the crowd and glowed warmly. (See picture below)

This was a warm day for magic folk and us normal civilians alike.

Hero smiled to himself, before setting down the newspaper again. He was rested on a village church roof, and he looked down. He could see wizards and witches come out of their homes, in full robes, with their rings and their wands. He saw heartwarming news and there was more acceptance than hate. The ring on Hero's finger glowed and he rolled his eyes. He saw multiple wizards and witches disappear into the meeting, but Hero did not follow.

○

It was strange really.

Hero was minding his business, sitting at a river bank. He easily caught a fish that leaped out of the water, and was cooking it over his elemental flames. He was almost done when he felt something brush against his side. He turned to see a cat, staring up at him with wide green eyes. Hero immediately warmed up to it. Cats were his weakness, so he tore off a bit of fish and set it on the ground. The cat sniffed at it before eating.

Hero smiled warmly at the cat, and observed its body. It was a male, Hero had to take a peek behind to tell. He was young, fresh out of kittenhood. He had a marvelous gray coat with black stripes. He had a white face, a white chest and underbelly. He also had white eartips, paws and tail tip. He was a stunning cat, and Hero rubbed the spot above the tail, and felt it rumble under his hand. The cat finished his meal, and decided that Hero's lap looked soft.

When it stood, Hero caught a glimpse of the black markings on his white chest. It looked strangely familiar, but he did not dwell on it. Hero finished his own fish and just started petting the cat. He bent down and whispered, "What's your name?"

The cat lifted his head curiously and meowed. That was another strange thing. Hero obviously knew how to speak with animals, but he could not find a way to speak to this cat. He responded in purrs, rumbles and meows. Hero did not mind at all, but he wished he knew what he was saying.

Soon, Hero had to be on the move again. The cat was not up for it, so Hero left it sunbathing on a rock.

○

Hero found it again when he went to the North.

The same cat with the same eyes, same coat, same chest markings had started following him out of nowhere. Hero just heard meowing and turned around to see the tabby just trailing after him. Hero had also just came back from a close call with a few village guards. He was bruised and cut all over the place. Hero could see him getting bored and tired, so he resorted to picking him up. He carried the tabby in his arms to his destination, despite his aching body. He swerved out of Helena's colony, not wanting to see them, and went straight where the vampires used to mark their borders.

Hero's mood plummeted as bad memories filled the familiar surroundings. He saw brief flashes of Noah guiding him through the old vampire territory. He crossed the patch where Noah bled out, and that was when Hero almost had a panic attack. The cat seemed to sense it, and calmed him down with loud purrs and lots of licking. Hero stroked the cat's head in thanks and continued on.

Night had fallen already, and Hero stepped out of the forest with an almost sleeping tabby in his arms. He walked right up to the cliff and sat where he had sat next to Noah many years ago. The only differences were the cold empty space beside him, and how the view was in the middle of the night, instead of sunset. The tabby had already fallen asleep, and was purring soundly in Hero's lap. He stroked the tabby's head softly as he inspected his bruised body.

An arrow had sliced a bit of his bicep, but he did not see to it. He just stared at the lonesome view, with his legs dangling dangerously. He stared until he found himself laughing bitterly. It was the first time he had laughed for a while. He ducked his head, and felt like tearing up. Nothing sprung up in his eyes, however, and he continued laughing. He shook his head and glared at the view as if it was his greatest enemy.

"God, I'm so fucked up in the head."

The End.