Drake gulped nervously, then winced. Not a good idea, as his throat ached painfully. It still hurt from being choked almost to death, if he could even die in this place.
Collin saw this and his smile softened. "Looks like you need something to soothe your sore throat huh?"
The mage was not too sure if you could call this a sore throat, but nodded anyways. Humming, the smaller teen walks and gestures Drake to follow. He simply follows, trusting the pale-eyed boy enough to do so. Where is his taking him though? It's not like there was anything in this blank mind of his.

Well, apparently he was wrong.

While walking, Drake starts to notice their surroundings change. He looked down and there's a stone pathway, cold and gray. He looked up and there's a pale blue sky, bright and cheerful. The hybrid looks curiously at Collin, who just continues to hum with a content smile. Does he really not notice these subtle changes, or does he not care?

"Oh trust me Drake, I noticed." Collin laughs when he looks back to see a startled Drake.
"D-Did you just-"
"Read your thoughts? Oh yeah definitely!" The smaller chuckled lightly, turning back to walk along the stone path.
The hybrid continues to follow, now curious-er than ever.

Around them vegetation started to bloom and burst from the ground. Trees sprung to life, leaves falling delicately, and bushes sprouted around the stone path, adorned with colorful flowers. Still, Collin paid them no mind.

"Wow.. So did you inherit mind-reading powers from Herobrine?" The mage asks, watching as Collin stops under an archway of leaves that had sprouted along with the bushes.
The smaller teen gave him a weird look, his smile turning more awkward but still friendly. "No silly. This is your mind remember? So whatever comes up in your head, I can see and read it too."
Drake blushes in embarassment. "Oh. Right."
"It's nothing to worry about, Drake! I understand where you're coming from." Collin replies, waving his hand over an area of grass he stood on.

Once he swiped his hand away, two white chairs and glass table appeared out of thin air. On top of the table stood a teapot, steaming with heat, and some cups atop saucers.
"Hehe, there we go!" The pale-eyed boy went ahead and sat on one of the chairs, looking at the dumbfounded mage curiously. "Well? You're not just gonna stand there and gawk are you?"

The hybrid shook his head, laughing awkwardly. He quickly goes and sits on the other seat across the table, watching as Collin picks up the teapot and pours some hot tea into it.
"Here, I also put a little honey into the mix so it doesn't taste as bitter." The smaller teen pushes Drake's cup towards him.
Drake picks up the cup and inspects the tea. It was yellow-ish, almost golden in color, and the aroma wafted into the hybrid's nose was somewhat strong. It smelled..spicy, in a way. He looks over at Collin, who had already filled his cup and had already started to drink.
'Well, here goes nothing.' The mage thinks, lifting the cup to his mouth and taking an experimental sip.

The hybrid's eyes lit up, pleasantly surprised as his ears started to point upwards as well. Surprisingly enough, the tea was actually pretty sweet and the honey helped quite alot. After taking a big gulp, Drake placed the cup back onto his saucer.
"Hah, wow. That.. wasn't as bad as I thought it to be." He said, seeing Collin's face light up.
"Of course Drake, it's just turmeric tea." The pale-eyed boy replies, putting his own cup down. "Unlike Him, i'd never think about harming you. I am your guardian, remember?"
"Oh, right. Sorry, I guess in the midst of all that's been happening, it's really hard to trust anyone." Drake rubs the back of his neck, looking down into his cup.

"You're... Armen's older brother, right?" The mage asks suddenly, putting his arm down and staring at the smaller teen.
The question was sudden, but Collin nods. "I am."
"So, I guess i'm you- well, your humanity to put it specifically." Drake continues.
Collin shakes his head. "No, you're Drake."
The hybrid tilts his head. "Yeah i'm Drake, but i'm still you in a way."

The pale-eyed boy gave him a kind look. "No, Drake. You're no longer 'me.' You're not just my humanity anymore. You've... grown, into something more; something even better. You're you."

"I... don't follow." Drake comments, feeling a little more confused. "I was born from your humanity."

"Yes Drake, you were born from my humanity. But, as I hope you can see, we both look and act differently." Collin continues. "You made yourself a completely new personality, with different interests and priorities. You're not a part of me, and i'm not a part of you."
The mage starts to understand and sees what he's talking about. He looks at Collin a little closer. Both of them wore the same clothes but his were tattered. His skin was certainly much lighter than Drake's and he didn't have ender markings all over. His hair was a different shade of brown, almost as dark as Armen's, and his eyes, well, those are pretty much self-explainatory.
'But it's not just the looks.' Collin definitely acted differently from Drake. Unlike Drake's analytical and nervous nature, the pale-eyed teen had a soothing, almost mother-like, aura on him. He treated things with patience and kindness, and seemed to looked at the more optimistic side of things. Not once has he judged Drake either, whether it be for his looks or for his attitude.

Other than the fact he basically bitch-slapped Herobrine out of exisitance in his own mind, Collin was a pretty nice guy to be around.
"I see, I think I understand what you're getting at, Collin." Drake responds, seeing the boy smile again.
"That's the first time you've said my name since I saved you from Him."
The hybrid thought for a moment. "Huh, you're right. In any case though, I need to ask you another question."
Collin crossed his legs and drank a little more from his tea cup. "Well, i'm all ears! We have until you wake up, which I doubt'll happen anytime soon."

The mage laughs a little at that. Drake is a pretty heavy sleeper, so that's pretty much true. "Heh..so, Collin. Why are you protecting me? Are you bound to me since i'm your humanity?"

That's when the air around them suddenly gets a little too cold. Collin had placed his cup on his lips, but stopped as Drake finished his sentence. The smaller boy put his cup down again, no longer smiling.
"Yes and no, Drake." He starts, crossing his legs and placing his head atop his hands. "Yes, i'm protecting you because you were my humanity. Over the course of your adventure, I gained massive respect for you and, well, it's the least I could do since you saved Armen from an untimely demise."

"And no, because it's not just that." The hybrid could practically hear the hardened tone Collin's voice took, and it made him VERY uneasy.

"As you've witnessed Herobrine has returned, and  he's been regaining his strength." Soon, Collin had stood up and paced around. "It wouldn't be alarming if the cases were normal, but this Drake? Since you've gained some new companions? This isn't normal at all."

"What do you mean?" Drake stood up as well, watching nervously as Collin continued to walk around.
"I mean he's healing at a faster rate than usual. Something strange has come into play, and it won't just affect you and he others." The pale-eyed teen turned swiftly and looked at Drake dead in the eyes.

"It could possibly destroy our world as we know it."
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(( Hey guys, it's Jace!!! I'm sincerely sorry for the delay on this Chapter !! I was pretty busy this whole week, plus a wave of boredom and writer's block struck me, but I swear this won't happen again!!  [I hope X'D] In any case, that's all I have to say for now! I'll see you all in the next chapter!! Peace!! =^v^=))