I'm excited and nervous right now! My first performance for an extracurricular thing is on Saturday! The anticipation is killing me, so I decided to kill time instead of it killing me, by writing this! Happy whatever day it is that you're reading this!

Gradyleeward: I love your interest in Hector, but you're still not quite getting it... Even if I do implement the Wither, he's not going to be Hector's (even adoptive) dad. If he was adopted by any mob, it would be the wither skeletons.

Killerwolf99: Thanks! It's okay. I'm glad you like Hector. I like him as a character, but I don't really know what to write for him. And since I write these A/Ns before I finish writing the chapter (or in this case, before starting), we'll see where I go with Hector in this! This chapter was fairly difficult to write, as well. It's so slow and normal! I can't stand it! I love action! The ending was fun to write, but the first part was difficult!

Have a good day/night, Flowers! Love, Laurel.

My relaxed feeling didn't last too long.

We were barely more than a block away from the TeamCrafted building garden when something happened.

I was walking past a small crowd of people, Hector by my side. The last person I passed, I felt a strange twinge in my heart. I knew him from somewhere.

Casually turning around, I didn't see him again. I hadn't been paying much attention, just enough to remember that he had light-colored hair and was about our age. And somehow, he'd managed to avoid my detection.

While I was watching after the crowd, waiting to see if whoever that was would resurface, Hector tugged on the hem of my shirt, "Krystal, what's wrong?"

Snapped out of my trance, I looked down at his innocent little face and ran one hand through his dark hair, "It's nothing. Just a weird feeling"

Thankfully, he dismissed it, taking my hand and pulling me in the direction of our first stop, the market.

I'd decided to start in a place we already knew well, and where there would be trouble, if any. It was fun to walk and see all the wares.

I did allow Hector a few presents. I bought a couple of books he asked for. Being a seven-year-old surrounded by businesslike adults and teens was not entertaining. He'd made it clear to me that he was bored, and I'd let him choose a few books.

After checking out the book stand and buying a few, I took another look around. Nothing unusual here, just a busy marketplace.

Walking around the city, I pointed out a few other places to my hybrid friend.

Two of those places were where the battle with the squids had been fought. I pointed out the building where I'd fought the first leader of the squids, as well as the street where I'd killed the second.

Laughing, I half-mimed the battle for him.

Technically, I wasn't allowed to train him yet, but I'm sure that there must be an unsaid exception for hybrids. Hector had more of a need to fight than other kids his age, and he already had the capability.

The wither skeleton boy was tall for his age, and though he was thin, he was quite strong. He seemed more like nine or so than seven.

Besides, it couldn't hurt to just show him a couple of moves.

"I jumped down on its back, like this..." I jumped up, then landed crouched, hands lightly set on the stone of the street, "And dug my sword straight down..."

I continued, thankful that the road was pretty much empty other than us.

"Krystal, what happened to the squid after you killed it?" Hector asked, just as I was finishing explaining what had happened after the battle.

I looked at him, shrugging, "At Sky's request, all the good meat on it was turned into calamari. The rest was burned, like the rest of the squid bodies. It was the best way to get rid of them, since their bodies don't despawn because they're technically passive mobs. Only hostile mobs' remains despawn"

"Oh. Krystal, what about us? What are we?"

Deep question.

"Well, from what I know, when we die, it's like humans. We don't despawn"

"Like Celosia" He whispered, probably thinking I couldn't hear him.

I pretended not to. I wasn't his sister, but I had promised her that I would take care of Hector. And so I was trying, but I wasn't the same as the girl who had taken care of him and been by his side for his whole life.

We moved on quickly, neither of us wanting to linger in this place of death.

After another while walking around, I finally spotted something that might be considered suspicious.

It was Eli, sneaking around and trying to look inconspicuous on the edges of an open plaza area. I wouldn't even have noticed him if I hadn't known my friend well.

I immediately hushed Hector, slowing my footsteps so we were casually walking.

I led Hector through a small market along the side. It wasn't big, only having a few shops, but served a purpose in this case. It let me get to Eli nearly undetected, certainly not noticed by whoever he was watching.

My Hispanic friend noticed us, certainly, but didn't react until we were standing behind a colorful tapestry that his us from the plaza.

"Krystal" He greeted me, still glancing around the corner in order not to lose whoever he was following.

"Eli, what's going on here?" I asked, voice low.

"You know the person you told me about this morning? That priest you called Vignar?"

"Yes..." I said, starting to understand.

Eli seemed to know, but explained anyways, "I've been scouring the city all day, and about ten minutes ago, I found someone matching the description you gave me"

"And you're following him now"

"Yes"

"I'll stay back then. If he is Vignar, he knows us. If he sees me and Hector, he'll know something's up"

"Thanks. You keep watch and listen, see if anything happens. Hi, Hector"

I shot him a grateful look, then shooed Hector into an abandoned, but covered, shop stall. Colorful cloths hung over the frame, and after I closed the flap, was just like a big tent, fully closed off.

While I listened in on Eli and other people's thoughts, Hector started to read one of his books. I kept an eye on him, but focused more on my mind and that of others.

Eli was patient. Multiple times, while waiting for the opportune moment, he left the plaza and altered his appearance. He put on a jacket, a hat, sunglasses, or took them off in different combinations. The hat he had hid his hair (h-ception!) pretty well, though there weren't many people who shared his slightly darker skin color.

But eventually, he gave me the heads-up that he was following the target, out of the plaza.

Hector and I left the market stall, sneaking along the edges of the plaza so no one would see us, just as Eli had been doing when we arrived.

I followed my sense of Eli's mind, to a side street that seemed pretty shady, like an alley.

Eli was facing a tall brunette man in his late twenties or early thirties, with blue eyes and wearing the white robes of a priest of Notch.

-That's him. I'm certain- I said to Eli, still hanging back so that Vignar did not catch sight of me.

'Okay' He thought back, speaking to the priest next, "Okay, face the wall and put your hands above your head. You've been identified as a criminal, so I'm taking you in"

On a random thought, my mind strayed to the mere fact that Eli Could mentally respond to me. He was one of the few who I'd made a mental connection with.

I'd forged that connection early on, back when I had come to the orchard. I'd marked Eli as the most trustworthy, and had cemented the connection when I'd first used it when I'd hidden from their friend/neighbor.

The only other people I had specific bonds with were Ty and Seto. Ty's reason was obvious. Seto's had partially been a mistake when my mental powers and his magic collided when we first met. But I didn't mind, it was useful.

I had made temporary mental bonds that weren't as concrete with several other people, meaning the other hybrids, but I usually didn't have to use those mental pathways.

Vignar was glancing around out of the corners of his eyes, searching for whoever Eli's contact had to be.

In his mind, the priest was thinking that Eli had hands-free microphone and earpiece, so that someone could feed him information from a short distance away. Someone involved, yet uninvolved at the same time.

'Krystal, go. I'll handle this. He's looking for you or Shade or one of the other hybrids. Take Hector and just keep on with your walk thing. Vignar here will be waiting in the holding cell when you return' Eli told me.

I gritted my teeth. I really didn't want to leave him behind, but he was right. I had to. He had this perfectly set.

"Let's go, Hector. Walk around a bit more" I told that to the kid, but my heart wasn't in it anymore.

Vignar tried to hurt Shade. No One would ever hurt my family on my watch.

We walked the city until the sun started to go down, stopping and doing a few things on the way, but Hector seemed to pick up on how anxious I was to get back, and didn't ask to stay out longer, though he was certainly having fun.

As we approached the building, my pace quickened slightly.

Entering, I left Hector with Mist, who was standing in the lobby, and told her to get him some dinner and take him up to Ty's room for the night.

Luckily, she already knew the reason for my rush, and didn't question me. Also, she was Hector's favorite playmate, since she was maybe a bit less serious than me, and because he could play with her without the risk of withering her.

I headed downstairs to the basement where the holding cell was, passing a few recruit guards on the way.

Eli was standing outside the one-way glass, keeping an eye on his prisoner.

I went to stand next to him, "Can't really hide this, now can we? Sky and the others are going to find out"

He nodded, "We can always tell Sky only part of the truth about what happened. This man Did attack Shade, after all"

"For all we know, Sky will come and interrogate Vignar himself, and Vignar will tell him everything he knows, because he wants to see our downfall"

"We'll do whatever we can to prevent that" My friend promised.

I set my hand on his shoulder, "Let's go speak to him now, before someone comes demanding to know why he's here"

(potential language warning from here on. Minorly offensive words)

I entered the holding cell, after making sure that Eli was the only one watching through the one-way glass.

There was a table and two chairs. Vignar was sitting on one of them, so I took my place across the table.

"Hello, Vignar" I greeted the brunette politely, though there were much ruder things I could and wanted to say.

"General Krystal, I believe" He responded, matching my polite, but cold tone.

Of course he knew my name. The bastard probably knew all the public had ever known about us. Also, being the only one in the city with a permanent set of wings and a tail, as well as a general, I was bound to be a rememberable person.

"I'm not one for niceties, Priest. Let's get down to business. Why did you kidnap Shade and call him and Mist untested?" I said, not letting my anger creep into my voice.

"I suppose that you will know the truth no matter what, and if I do not tell it, you will demand it"

I had let people know that I knew when someone was lying, but had kept my telepathy a secret to the general public, so he wouldn't know.

"You are right. Now, speak" I commanded.

He looked at me, pure loathing in his eyes, "Fine" he snapped, glaring at me.

I glared back, not cowed in the slightest, "Do as I say"

He kept glaring, but spoke, "I do simply as my lord orders. My lord ordered me to test the untested. You and your brother have fought valiantly, but the others have barely seen battle. The wither boy is too young, the wolf girl was occupied. I took my opportunity to serve my lord. I took the cat boy and tested him, then I brought him to where I did not doubt that his sister would find him. That was her test. Though honestly, I did not expect anyone to discover the clue so quickly. I assume that was you who realized what the paper was?"

I nodded.

He continued, "My lord requested that you find the table. He is curious of you. No one has used that enchanting table in years, no one has found it and had the capacity to use it. I expected you would find him in a few days, and you found him in not even 24 hours. You and the wolf girl certainly passed that test"

"And why do you follow Notch's commands?" I questioned.

He grew visibly indignant at the question, "I have devoted my life to my lord! I will take any opportunity I can to get closer to my lord!"

I didn't stop to sooth his irritation, "So you follow commands even to this extreme?" I wanted to add words like weakling and coward, but held my tongue.

He shot to his feet, slamming his hands down on the table. I didn't even flinch. He was nearly shouting when he said, "You are an inflammatory agent upon this world. Your mere existence has riled up my lord and the dark one! You and your other creations" He spat out the last word, then continued, "have caused upset to my lord! And you will pay!"

I gracefully stood, meeting his angered eyes with my calm, violet gaze, "I think we're done here. I have collected all the information I believe you have"

As I turned my back and walked out, I could feel his anger rising even more as he realized. I'd irritated him just enough so that he would get angry and forget any plan he'd had to hide information.

I heard him pounding on the locked cell door as I returned to Eli.

"Flipping bastard" I said brusquely.

He didn't comment for a moment, then said, "So did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Get all the info from him?"

"It's all he had to offer. That's all he knows" I waited a moment before adding, "Eli, you know we can't let him go yet"

He nodded, "I know. I can get him transferred to a private cell, if you'll do some paperwork"

I sighed, starting to cool down, "Yeah, yeah, whatever it takes to keep him off the streets"

I really disliked the whole paperwork process. I was a roaming individual, I didn't like to conform to society and follow rules. And that included paperwork unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Yes, I know you hate paperwork. Just please do it so that we can do this! Look, I'll manage the transition, you don't have to see him again for all I care! Just sign the papers, and you can let me deal with it. I'll handle it, no problems"

"Thanks, Eli. Now where are the forms we need?" I sighed.

I truly was grateful to have Eli. He'd stayed by my side, helped me plan, and been the most loyal human friend I'd ever had. He also was a lot better at following rules than I was. He was a corporal, so he had higher-ups like me who he technically had to obey. Me? The only person even slightly above me on the hierarchy was Sky, because he was the symbol of the Sky Army. It was his.

My Hispanic friend gave me the forms, and I filled them out while he watched.

After signing the prisoner transfer form, I filed it away and went upstairs.

I snuck a peek into Ty's room, since it was nearly midnight and he and the other two hybrids had left for their own patrol. Hector was asleep, curled up on top of Ty's green and black bedspread.

I let him be, closing and locking the door, and went to my own room for the night.

Yeah, the person Krystal somehow knew in the beginning of the chapter won't be relevant until much, much later on, not until pretty much the end of this story. I just really like his character, and thought he might get a bit of a cameo or something. I'm weird like that.

Love, Laurel