The being didn't seem to care that anyone else was there, moving freely and without care. Xephos' eyes moved to his brother who was now still on the ground. He knelt beside him, feeling for a pulse. His skin was cold and slightly pale, and his pulse was weak. Xephos pulled his brother onto his lap, his hand easily running through the scruff of black hair; thinking about it, it felt more like fur, but Xephos didn't dwell on it. He just wished Ross would be ok. They hadn't even gotten to know each other enough. He brought himself shakily to his feet, grasping at his forearm painfully.

"Who...a-are you?" Xephos' voice came out more nervous than he wanted it to. With all his injuries and pains, it was hard to keep consciousness, never mind speak with confidence. "What...did you do...to my brother?" The being glanced at Xephos; well, it was hard to tell where he was looking as the only facial feature he had was a mouth. The rest was just shadows.

"Oh don't worry about him. He's served his purpose now." A lopsided smirk formed on the being's mouth. His head tilted in the same way. "Maybe he'll survive. Maybe not. It doesn't matter." He shrugged. Xephos clenched his hand around his sword, attempting to move forward when Smith and Trott held him from both sides.

"Calm down. You're in no state to fight him." Xephos let his body hang from the two males, all of his strength draining quickly as his adrenalin faded. He slumped down on the ground, his mind becoming blank. What can he do? His brother could die and he had no idea how to save him. Even the Guardian had gone silent. What was he supposed to do? The being brought a hand up in front of his face, moving each finger slowly.

"Hmm...This reminds me too much of him." He murmured, his body 'glitching' for a moment. His body seemed to rip in half and, when he reformed, the red glow was exchanged for a deep blue. A robe that reached just before the ground appeared around his shoulders, the royal insignia pasted onto the back. He walked over to the throne, where the crown remained. He brushed it aside with the back of his hand, letting it roll away on the floor. "I suppose this is what a king is supposed to look like?" Sitting down, features of a face emerged from the black shadow. Eyes, nose, ears. They each joined the mouth, fitting together perfectly to create a handsome face. The only part that wasn't completely right was when the skin formed. A deep blue crack ran across his right cheek, and blue lines traced over his lips. "I wonder if I look good enough." He blinked slowly, letting his head tilt again. "Ah, yes. You." He seemed to remember the others were there, his gaze landing on Xephos. "Now, I'll let you go for now. It's no fun if I just kill you, after all." The being leaned back in the throne, a satisfied look on his face.

"Tell me who you are." Xephos repeated. Since the Guardian had gone silent, he had to find out these things for himself. The being sighed, glancing away.

"Is brother ignoring you? That's very rude of him." He swung his legs over one arm of the throne, lying sideways on it. His head half hung over the edge, his eyes watching Xephos lazily. "Well, you can call me the Overseer." The being replied, his gaze shifting over to the unconscious male. "Tick tock. You don't have time to be talking to me." The Overseer smirked. Xephos growled, but he was right. If he wanted to save Ross they would have to act quickly. Xephos looked at Smith, who was already moving to carry Ross in his arms. Trott helped Xephos up, with Xena on his other side. In everything that had happened, he had forgotten the guard was even there. "Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock." The Overseer said painfully slowly, drawing out each word for just a moment too long. The group got out as fast as they could, not looking back for even a second.

Xephos was barely conscious when everyone regrouped back at their house in the woods. They had met up with Honeydew and Rythian as they escaped, and others in the town had followed suit in their retreat when they saw the state their 'leader' was in. Lomadia was at his side as he almost crashed onto the floor. She cradled his body gently, running her hand through his dark hair. She couldn't help but look over at Ross, who was in a worse state than her boyfriend. She kept noticing the similarities now that she knew. Everyone did. It didn't change anything though. They would help him either way, yet Honeydew was still reluctant. Though he was less strict with Smith and Trott now as they were on the same side.

"So, what are we going to do now?" The dwarf asked. "We've now got this crazy Overseer who's literally overseeing everything. Is there anything we can do?" He glanced around. Nobody seemed to have the answer. Who would in a situation like this? Honeydew sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead. "For now...I think we should rest." He suggested. The others mumbled agreements.

"What about the town?" Martyn suddenly spoke up. His voice was croaky as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He hadn't been able to get Toby's body in the chaos, which made it even more painful. "The people there...we need to help them." He pointed out. "We can't just leave them to defend themselves." Martyn explained. Honeydew blinked, nodding slowly.

"Yes...I suppose a group of us should go and help." Martyn was already standing before Honeydew had finished, and Kaeyi stood by his side. "...Anyone else?" Sjin stood up after, explaining that his construction skills would come in handy. That and secretly he wanted to find his lost friend. Sips insisted he went with him, and no one could really argue with him.

"We'll go too." Zoeya added happily, dragging Teep and Rythian to their feet. Honeydew nodded. The group got their things before setting off back to the town. Xephos had tried to go with them, but nobody listened and Lomadia just told him to rest. He couldn't help but look over at his brother. His condition wasn't getting any better, however it didn't seem to be deteriorating either. Ross was stable, but nobody knew for how long.

"How are we going to help him?" Smith asked. He glanced at his hybrid friend, a look of desperation in his eyes. "Are you sure there's nothing you can do, Trott?" His voice grew quiet as his friend merely looked at the ground. Smith growled in frustration, taking to pacing across the room. "There has to be something. Anything." He muttered.

"...For now, we just have to wait." Trott finally replied. He stood, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder to stop his pacing. "That's all we can do. We have no books, no supplies, nothing apart from food and water to help him. I'm not letting that scientist try anything on him." He lowered his voice for the last sentence, both glancing briefly at Lalna. "Just trust him, Smith. He'll make it through this."

"I hope you're right. For everyone's sake."

"Twins! They are both boys, your Highness." She looked down at her two boys, watching them lay peacefully in her arms. The one only minutes older was awake, bright blue eyes staring back at her.

"You two are so cute." She smiled to herself. "You're going to be the greatest rulers this kingdom has ever had." She whispered, giving each a kiss on their forehead. She glanced up at the sound of the door opening, and her husband hurried to his wife's side. He looked down on his children, a sincere smile on his face. He hadn't had a reason to smile like this in a long time. "What do you want to call them?" She asked.

"Didn't we decide on names?" He replied, looking at his boys. "Lewis and Ross. We had decided it would be one of those two if we had a boy, and now we have both." He explained. A cold gust of air burst through the window, slamming the doors shut. Upon the windowsill sat a male with only a smirk on his face. No other features could be seen under the dark hood he wore. His legs were crossed as he tapped his fingers – which were more like claws – on his knee.

"So. The King and Queen had a child. Oh, but not only that, TWINS." He chuckled, sending shivers down their spines. "That is a sight to see." He leaned back against the frame, dark red eyes appearing from under the hood. They looked like prankster eyes, full of deceit, mischief and glee. But the King and Queen knew he was capable of so much more than that. When he smiled – a smile that seemed harmless – his eyes turned into crescents, making him seem innocent. "Isn't it customary to give the children gifts for their births?" He asked. Before the King could interrupt, the male continued. "But, oh dear. It seems I am a bit poor this year. I can only give one of your children a gift." He landed gracefully on his feet, not moving a step further as he watched the 'happy family'. "Now, shall I give it to the older boy, or the younger?"

"We do not require gifts. Thank you for your generosity, but we decline." The Queen spoke calmly in place of her husband, who seemed to want to rip the male's throat out.

"Oh, but I INSIST. It would be so unkind and rude of me to not bless at least one of your children." The male tilted his head to the side, that 'innocent' smile returning. "Is it not right that the younger child is the spoilt one? Therefore...I believe the elder one deserves something more precious." His body disappeared into smoke, appearing before the two rulers. He easily took the older twin from his mother, the two now frozen where they sat. "Now, little one, what would you like?" The male cooed like it was his own child. His claws ran through the child's hair, not once breaking his skin.

"Hmm...I don't want you to die. That wouldn't be fun now, would it? No, no. Maybe...maybe not something harmful to you. But at least let's give everyone a reminder of what you are. Or, what you will become." He pressed his fingers against the boy's temples, making him wriggle and squirm. His eyes clamped shut as the male pressed harder before it ended. When the boy blinked his eyes opened, a light blue glow was cast from them. "Little baby. No one will know what I've done to you." The male put him back in his mother's arms before vanishing. The King and Queen were freed from whatever state they were in, and they instantly noticed both the lack of the male and the gentle glow from their child's eyes.

"What has he done to you?"