What?

It is actually possible for me to update more than once a month! (LOL)

Did anyone else see YOGSCAST Zoey's April fool's video? She CALLED THE CASTLE GROUNDS WHITEROCK And this is awesome because in Forgive and Forget she's the one to name Whiterock!

MyDimension-Thanks for telling me about that bug so I could fix it! Also, while this series has a TON left to go, it's a great idea and it might just happen.

**MyDimension's idea was to make a second series on their children** What does everyone think? LMK!

Wolverrina- no waiting now!

DJMidge-Good luck! (Bilbo Swaggins and the fellowship of the Bling LOL) & thx!

PropagandaStory123-Thx!

Rythian Pov

It wasn't until the next I really started to be worried.

Considering she's died several times and respawned in the last year, I should be used to it, but without respawning, she was in danger for once. Still, when I checked on her in the morning the next day, and she was just as still as she was yesterday, I got worried.

If she survived being choked, the head wound, and somehow (I had suspicions about that,) getting up two floors without a trace of blood in seconds without being seen, she should have woken up by now. It didn't make sense.

I shook my head and went for breakfast. She was still recovering and it could take a while. In the break room we'd been given, most of the others were up already and talking quietly in small groups.

"Morning." I whispered to Zoeya as I brushed shoulders with her on my way to the coffee. Her almost ever-present smile got bigger.

"Morning Rythi." She says equally quiet. I grab a coffee and some food and sit at the table. Everyone's here except Toby, Reyanna, Kim, Martyn and Xephos.

You can't see at first glance the marks the battle left on our group, but to me they seemed everywhere. It was in the stiffness of movement, the quiet voices, and the somberness over all of us. Concealed wounds and unvoiced concerns were weighing us down.

I brushed the thoughts away as I sat next to an uncharacteristically quiet Zoeya. We ate in silence.

I was almost finished when the door swung open and Martyn and Xephos came in. Judging by the look on Martyn's face I knew Toby wasn't better either. Xephos' face was grim. Even if I had more power or Ridge had more information (and normally more power than me,) he was kind of the de facto leader. He just had that type of persona around him that told you, he's got that experience to keep us alive.

For a while, almost utter silence rested across the table. No one spoke, except for the occasional pass the sugar please.

Finally, Xephos broke the silence.

"Ridge, what's the plan?" He asked.

"We have about another day here. Then we have to go about another day's worth south, through another desert and then we'll reach the spot to reach the lower Aether from." He said.

"Lower Aether?" Minty asked.

"There's the higher Aether- for the most part, heaven. Then the lower Aether is where adventurers can go, Valkeries live and train, full of mobs and dungeons. It connects the higher Aether and the Overworld together. If it's corrupted, dead souls cannot reach the afterlife. The gods will not be able to watch over Minecraftia. Chaos takes over and the sun will literally not shine." Ridge says, and the mood in the room drops about ten degrees.

"So, in other words, Herobrine's gonna corrupt that, throw the Overworld into darkness and thrive." Martyn said rather calmly.

"You're not scared, Martyn?" Sjin asked incredulously.

"Lower Aether? Been there, done that." The sapling prince said.

"Wait. Why do we need to travel all that way Ridge? Is that the only way to the Aether?" Honeydew asked.

"No, but with none of my powers, we need to get to the emergency portal-"

"Emergency portal?" Sips said incredulously. "There's actually an emergency portal."

"Yes, there is. It's a precaution and very old, but it's our only shot at taking Him down." Ridge said.

"Alright. But," Xephos said, taking a deep breath. "If they don't wake up in time for that?"

Silence filled the room. Everyone hated what he'd just said, but it rang true. Three of our group were still unconscious. We had just over a day. People could stay in comas for months.

"Then," I say, taking a deep breath. Everyone's eyes are on me. "We have to leave them here. I hate the idea, but we're on a time limit. They have medical care here. If we wait for them it could be months. Everything is at stake here."

Everyone seemed to hate it as much as I did, but nobody objected.

"Something else." Xephos said. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Am I the only one here who noticed it's our youngest that are hurt the worst?"

Okay, that took it a bit far. If leaving them behind was being stabbed with a rusty red katar, this was a triple b*tch-smack to the face.

I wasn't the only one getting upset over that.

"Okay, not cool." Martyn said. "Not. Cool."

"I'm with Martyn on this." Minty said.

Xephos held up his hands but I could tell he was upset. "All I'm saying is it might be better for them in the long run if they stay behind."

"You're saying that even if they get up, we shouldn't take them." Nilesy said.

"They're not even adults yet!" Xephos protested. Honeydew shook his head.

"Ole buddy, we were 18 when we went after Israphel the first time." He pointed out.

"I just don't want them killed!" Xephos said, his temper rising.

"They can handle themselves as well as the rest of us!" Lalna shouted.

"Xephos, if we refuse to take them, they'll either tag along & get hurt because of that or we could really need them and they're not there. What then? We lose the fight and have the world get destroyed?" Ridge said calmly.

"You're of no use to anyone if you're dead-including yourself." Xephos practically spat. He stormed out of the room.

"He did have a point, you know." Sips said.

Lalna shook his head. "It could have been a coincidence. The army could have targeted them more because they were younger. We don't know anything." He said logically.

"If the world's at stake, we have to put winning that final battle above anything else…" Minty said softly. She stood up. "I'm going to go check on Kim."

The room was silent for a long moment. Ridge turned to me.

"What do you think?" He asked simply.

"I think Xephos was just looking out for them. But Minty's right. We have a battle to win and a world to save." I say after a pause.

Ridge nodded. "I'm not sure, but something tells me that they'll play an important role in the fight. But if they don't wake up, I don't know what to do."

Lomadia sighs. "I agree with Rythian. Xephos is stressed and he's trying to keep us safe, but he's overreacting. I'd better go find him." She leaves the room, too.

"How was Reyanna, Rythian?" He asks, and I get what he's leaving unsaid. Is she going to be awake in time?

"Same as last night. The bleeding's stopped but she's still out cold." I say grimly.

Martyn frowned. "Toby was still out, too, but he's only got a cracked rib or two. I'm sure he didn't hit his head fighting."

"I don't get it." Zoeya said next to me. "Toby should wake up any time now, but Reyanna should have been awake last night. Our bodies are built to recover from lack of oxygen quickly as possible. And she didn't lose that much blood."

Lalna nods. "Martyn, you may as well check on Toby now. He could be awake already. But… unless something else is going on, I don't have a clue as to what wrong with Reyanna."

"Internal injury? Some type of trauma?" Sjin asked.

"I checked." Zoeya said. "We'd have seen that by now."

Suddenly, something started to make an idea in my head.

Something else going on.

Trauma.

She teleported.

But Zoeya found her Alchemical bag on the floor she was injured on…

And there was no trace of blood on the way. It happened in seconds.

She clearly teleported.

But without her ring?

I know what that means…

CRAP.

"I'm going to go check on her again." I said.

"I'll come with you." Zoeya says immediately.

Teep motions to me that he'll be going to his room. I nod.

The moment we're in the hallway, Zoeya turns to me.

"You think you know what happened to her don't you?" She says.

"Not here in the hall." I say, leading the way to my sister's room. Sure enough, she's the same as before. I feel her forehead and there's no sign of sickness or a temperature.

"I think Sjin's idea of trauma might be partially right." I say quietly. "But not physical. Mental trauma could explain it."

Zoeya shakes her head. "Why didn't I think of that? I'm the healer." She sighs.

I hate her having to be serious like this, because I know it's not her.

"Hey." I step in front of her and lift her chin up in my hands. "Don't freak out over this whole thing. Soon, we'll be back at Blackrock and you can talk to the mooshrooms and bakes cupcakes and cookies with Reyanna, and I'll teach all my new alchemical findings to you, and Teep will be in his tower and you can throw a party to celebrate saving the world."

Zoeya's grin reappears in an instant and she pecks me on the nose.

"So, what's our plan?"

"I need to dig up a spell." I say.

"Which one? I might be able to help!" She says.

"The one I used to wake you up after…" My voice trails off. She nods.

"I don't know where that one is." She says.

"Go see if Toby and Kim are better yet, I guess. Then you can relax for a while. Plan that party, maybe. I'll be in here for a while. I don't know how long this spell might take, but it should work. Tell the others not to come in, will you?"

She nods again and gives me a hug.

It doesn't take me long to find the notes on that spell. Reading them over, I'm glad it'll work. It will work best if you're close to the person.

Why? You might think.

The spell essentially lets you connect with the person's conscious and subconscious magically. There's always going to be something surprising. The interaction isn't real on a physical level, but the spell shows you it in a way you can understand. But it's mostly metaphorical and confusing. If I can see her subconscious, I will be able to tell what is wrong with my sister whether it's physical or not. Then I can fix it as best I can.

I just really hope she won't kill me for it.