Hi! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. My regular school year is over, so I haven't been able to get on the computer as much to finish this chapter. My school does this thing called May Term where for a couple of weeks at the end of the year we get all these fun classes. I have band, a free-form art class, a class where we do puzzles (Star Wars themed), and a class where we watch movies and apply them to the theory of the Hero Cycle. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my school?

Yeah, like I said. Chapters are going to be more far-between. With summer vacation and my first job, I won't be able to write on the computer as much.

That all being said, rant time! I watched the new Avengers movie, and I wanted to kill Ultron again after they killed off my favorite character! He's been my favorite for a long time, and I was very, very, angry when he died. I ranted to my friend for a loooonnnnggg time.

This chapter is mostly a look on how things are going back in Rikilyn, with the other hybrids. Not much happens, but some insight on how other characters view Krystal.

Anyways, have a good day/night, Flowers!

Love, Laurel

"Hey…"

The black-haired cat hybrid looked up at the voice. He was sitting cross-legged on the covers of his bunk, looking through a pile of papers. He wore tawny-colored robes, but had the hood down so that his furry ears were free.

It was the younger boy who had spoken, the dark-skinned wither skeleton hybrid who had just entered from the side room.

"What's up, Hector?" The older asked, looking up from the documents.

"I'm scared, Shade…" Hector whispered, looking down.

Shade's ears shot up straight, "Why? What are you afraid of?" There was no cause he knew as to why the boy would be afraid. Mist and Shade had been taking good care of him, and nothing bad had happened anywhere yet, not even at the church where they were working at.

"Krystal's been gone a while…"
"Of course she has. Krystal said they would be gone for a few weeks at most. It's only been a few days, Hec" Shade's ears relaxed.

But Hector still looked nervous, "Yeah, but I've been thinking… You guys do so much for me, and I feel like I don't deserve it… I do nothing… Celosia and Krystal… they care about me more than they should… I don't wanna be trouble for you guys…"

They always had to be careful around Hector, because the other hybrids seemed to be the only ones immune to the withering effect that clung to his dark skin. They had to make sure that no one else touched him by accident, and that wasn't something they could explain without revealing that they weren't entirely human.

"Hector, come here" Shade commanded. When the younger boy came to him, the cat hybrid continued, "Celosia cared for you a lot. It was her wish that we helped you and made sure you were happy. Krystal promised, and you know she Never breaks her promises. We all care about you, and you should never think that you don't deserve it. You have the opportunity that all of us wanted: to live a normal life and go to school, have friend and people who care about you. We want you to have that opportunity, Hector. It would help us more than anything, to see you happy"

"But Krystal…"
"She may leave us for short times, but I think that can only be expected. Krystal spent more time on her own than any of us. She knows how to handle herself in dangerous territory better than a group. Besides that, she wants us to be safe. Just think of how lucky we are, Hec, to have someone like her. But also remember that we're everything she has. She couldn't stand to lose us... "

He sighed, then went on again, "I remember when I first met Krystal, I didn't like her. I thought it was her fault that my friend was dead, before I knew she was a hybrid like us. But as I got to know her, I realized just how much she cares. She's selfless. She wanted to destroy the compound not because of what they've done to her, but what they were doing to others, like you and Celosia. Krystal would have happily died in her place, if it meant you would have your sister" Shade felt awkward talking so seriously to the kid who was only seven years old, but he knew Hector was smart and serious despite his young age.

"Just let Krystal be. You don't have to worry about her, she's too stubborn and selfless to die. She'll always come back just so that she won't let us down" He finished. Too selfless to die… that was an interesting way to put it, but it seemed to fit.

In truth, Shade had only really grown to know the enderdragon hybrid during their month of clean up and peace, when he'd finally forgiven her for Heather's death. Heather had been the first Minecraftian he and Mist had met who accepted them for what they were, after having accidently found out about the hybrids. Shade could still see the light shining in her chocolate colored eyes, the moonlight on her face, moments before he'd watched her be shot by a couple of skeletons, while he'd been occupied with a swarm of spiders. He hadn't been able to help her. Shade had held the girl's hand as her life, that light, had faded away…

"Shade?" The young, inquisitive voice pulled the cat hybrid back from the dark memory.

He shook his head, "Sorry, Hec. Just a bad memory" Then, with a wry grin, he patted the younger boy's hair, "Getting a bit shaggy. You should get a haircut"

The wither skeleton hybrid laughed, "I'll ask Mist when she gets back from the church"

Since Hector withered any Minecraftians who touched him, the hybrids had to help with things like cutting his hair. The other two male hybrids both let their hair grow shaggy, and didn't really cut their hair often because they liked the look, so they weren't good candidates. Krystal wasn't either, she usually just let her hair grow out. That left Mist, who was more than happy to help. She had appointed herself the group hygienist, even though her brother was the neatnik of the two, with his catty instincts.

"Just don't worry, Hector. As always, we'll get through just fine. Trust me, and trust Krystal, Ty, and Mist"
Though he said it, Shade wondered where Krystal and Ty actually were, what troubles they were going through…

(...)

'You don't trust me, do you, Krystal?' My brother asked telepathically as we flew in the direction I had seen the valkyrie's spirit go in.

-Of course I do, Ty- I replied, but did not look at him.

'It's okay, I understand' He said quietly. 'You want to trust me, and you do, but you can't trust what I do. I can see you watching me, Krystal. It's okay. I can't trust what I do either, like there's some awful lingering effect of that valkyrie in me. Sorry if I'm worrying you'

I shook my head, -I hate Notch so much. He refused to speak rationally with me, but wanted to bring us to him anyways. He's a control freak, just like Mother said- I wasn't lying either. There was something in Notch that if you never met him, you would never see. Something dark amid the supposed light, just like the valkyrie, a "pure" being doing bad things whether by choice or not. How was I to know? I hated her for what she had done to my brother, but still wanted to know the reason why.

I hated that valkyrie for what she had done, but couldn't bring myself to hate the valkyrie I'd fought in front of Notch's castle. She had only been doing her job, and hadn't taken pleasure in it, unlike the one who had possessed Ty.

We flew in silence, contemplating our separate thoughts. Our wings moved in synchronization, but I felt that the familiar rhythm, the pattern, was missing.

Ty was right, though I hadn't realized it before. I didn't trust him, not fully. I was half consciously watching him all the time, for the slightest sign that something was wrong, that the valkyrie was back.

I looked at him through DreamSight, just double checking. All his normal colors were there, shaded with a hint of gray emotion, worry and concern. In DreamSight, emotions were easy to see, and I'd learned which colors meant what a long time ago.

The rhythm was missing, to both of us. The easy familiarity was replaced with untrusting concern.

'Krystal, it's dangerous to take me. We don't know what I'll do' Ty half whispered to me.

-I'm not leaving you again, Ty. You might be in danger, we don't want to risk something else happening to you- I responded evenly, giving him a look that said "work with me here"

But he just frowned, 'I don't want to risk something happening to you either, Krystal! I tried to kill you! I can't just shrug that off, and neither can you, even though you won't admit it!'

-It wasn't you, Ty-

'It wasn't my mind, but it was my body and my powers!'

-Fine, I'll admit I was a little freaked out by it. But it was never You, Ty. It wasn't you, and it wasn't Enderlox. It was that stupid valkyrie- I'd unconsciously sped up a little, getting ahead of my brother.

'Krystal...'

I shook my head, letting him catch up, -I can't forgive you for something you never did, Ty. Maybe you should figure that out too-

We fell silent after that, and I knew he couldn't help but think about what I had said.

(...)

Within a few hours, we found what the valkyrie had been headed for. It was the same castle as before, swarming with valkyries this time. Also, it was in a different place, obviously. Apparently Notch really was very worried about us.

-They're waiting for us- I commented, watching from afar.

'Can you see how many?' My brother asked from beside me, unable to see himself.

I nodded, -I can see at least ten to twenty of them. One of them has different colored wings from the others, I think it might be the valkyrie queen- Her wings were a slightly more bluish color, and at least five valkyries surrounded her, like guards.

'Queen?'

-Yeah. Didn't you read the lore in that book? There was a lot of stuff about valkyries in there-

He shrugged, 'You were kinda hogging it, to be honest, Krystal'

Okay, so maybe I like to know things.

-Fine, fine. The valkyries are a valiant and honorable species led by a queen. Whenever they lose the queen, the best candidates fight it out. The victor becomes the next queen-

'So the queen is their best warrior, basically?' Ty asked.

-Or, she was at one point. Maybe not anymore, but she is still queen. She stays queen until she dies, no matter what or how bad of a ruler she is- I explained, shifting my wings. "If she is a bad ruler, she may be overthrown by her own people-

It was understandable, the way this warrior society worked, although it was very different from our own. Survival of the fittest and all that. Though maybe the strongest warrior wasn't always the smartest and best fit to help her people.

'If you were a valkyrie, Krystal, you'd be the queen' Ty's comment surprised me.

I turned to face him, glaring. -Why do you say that?-

He shrugged, aware of my sudden mood shift, 'You just seem like you would. You're a great fighter, and you're smart and clever'

Shaking my head, I growled, -But I don't want to be a leader. I'm happy just doing as I am. I want to help people, Ty. People who are like us. People who are in trouble. All of them. No leader can do what we do. No leader can try to help so many people. That's the problem with people who lead others. They're all about sides, who they should help and who they refuse to. I don't want that-

'Maybe you should accept the fact that you're a natural leader, even if you do try to deny leading more than a few people. Think about it, Krys. You're the leader of our little hybrid family. Everyone looks to you. It isn't too bad to be a leader'

-Did you just call me 'Krys'?- I asked.

Was he right? In a way, I subconsciously knew it, but still tried to ignore it. He was right. They all looked to me, I was responsible for all of them. I just denied it, and still did it. He was right…

'Yeah, just trying it out' He grinned.

-Well, stop that-

'Kay, Krys'

I glared at him again, making him continue grinning.

-Whatever. Let's just get going. I want to get out of here as soon as possible-