3

Erick woke up to someone standing in his room. He sat up sleepily, only to see Matrix standing over the table, busy staring at himself. Erick groaned, stood up, and walked sleepily over to the table, using it as a supporter to hold him up.

"That's me." Matrix said. "Why is the table like this? Is this the actual table form the meeting hall? Is it? Really? My dad told me about this-"

Erick groaned and then yawned. "Hmm? Oh yes, this is the actual table. I bought it off of a traveling antique dealer, who had 'bought' it or 'found' it from a chamber. I tried fixing the surface crack, but I failed, and it only made it look like this. It shows different kids, I guess."

Matrix murmured something. He you gestured to the girl standing on the hell and deceased side. "Who is to girl? She looks hauntingly familiar."

"She looks like the leader of the Hell Creatures. That's how she looks, familiar, I guess."

Matrix nodded. Then raised on eyebrow. "You said you couldn't fix the table, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"My dad said the crack went all the way across. Part of the crack doesn't."

"Where?"

Matrix pointed to an area. The crack that touched both the elven and the werewolf nations was missing part of its self. Erick touched the area where it had healed. Was the magic working? He was about to say it, but realized he couldn't say it in front of a Matrix, otherwise he may think poorly of his mother and think Erick was, well, a hybrid. Nothing good comes from being a hybrid.

"Why is it like that? It didn't work when I tried to seal it up..."

"What'd you use?"

"A special mixture used to seal cracks in wooden counters. Specifically made only in the elven kingdom. I thought that may work, but I guess not."

"This was caused by magic. Only magic can heal it."

"I don't suppose you have magical abilities? I'd love to see it fixed and put back in the chamber. Granted the chamber needs fixing as well, but..."

Matrix shook his head. "No magic on me, or in me for that matter."

Erick nodded. Matrix turned to him. "Do you have any magic Erick? Don't elves have their nature abilities? Or is this fairies?"

"That's fairies, and no." Erick said, trying to hide his expression. He was a terrible liar, his face always gave it away.

Matrix looked at his face. "Your lying."

Erick looked at him nervously. "Which one?"

"My father told me that elves have magic too. My father doesn't lie, at least, not to me."

"How are you sure if that?"

Matrix opened his mouth to reply, but closed his mouth abruptly. "I-I don't..."

Erick nodded. "Yes, I figured. Now. Uh...the table."

Matrix nodded, turning his head back to the table. "So...this pale guy....a ghost maybe?"

"Probably. Uh...the blonde guy here? Fairy...and his blue eyes signify he is most likely a water creature as well."

"Wait...did Wix mix with Malifia?"

"No...he couldn't do that, right?"

Matrix shrugged. "I don't know what they look like...this could be some random fairy, in all honesty."

Erick was about to reply, when his father called from downstairs. "Erick, there's a meeting I need you to attend!"

Erick turned to Matrix. "Got to go downstairs. Don't do anything stupid, okay? Rest too, you need it."

Erick sat in the meeting hall, his father busy talking to the fairy leader, Wix. "Wix, I don't think sending your son here will make the enemies think any more of us. We already look like incompetent fools to them that are easy to push around. We don't wish to have all of their kids come here."

"I already asked Maxwell, and he said the same things. I need my son to be safe, he's the only thing the kingdom has if I die. Just until the war settles down a bit, alright?"

His father sighed. Erick looked toward the boy sitting in the chair. He looked so familiar...was he the-

Suddenly, Matrix walked downstairs, bursting into the meeting hall. Wix stared at him. "Your not an elf...who is this-"

"Sorry to interrupt this meeting, but I really need Erick to come see something."

"Take my son with you, please."

Erick groaned. His father flared at him. "What is going on here Erick?"

"Gah! This is so annoying!" Erick stood up, then turned to his father. "I need to go, sorry."

"Erick, I'm sure my son would like to rest up, yes?"

Wix looked at his son. He looked up, and Erick realized why he looked so familiar. He was the boy that had been on both the water and fairy side. Erick nodded. "Sure, Wix. He's, uh, allowed up here."

"By the way...who is that other boy? Tarven, he looks a lot like Bulfred. Are you sure he isn't the son of Bulfred?"

"I honestly don't know. He had a knife to my throat, my son shot him in the thigh, and he was supposed to be asleep, as Erick told me."

Wix raised his eyebrows. "Your letting him stay here when he great ended to kill you? Why do that?"

"I don't know how you live your life in the fairy kingdom, but we help those in pain, whether they tried to kill us or not."

Wix sighed. "I'll take my leave then."

"What about your son?"

"He's staying here, remember? Your son agreed."

"I agreed to taking him upstairs, Wix, not having him live with me."

"Come now, you have a big enough house. I'll even aid you in warfare if your nation gets attacked."

Erick's father seemed intrigued. "Son, we could use the military help, just in case."

Erick felt his face go red in anger. "Father, if he stays here we will be a bigger target for the enemies! Don't you get that?"

His father nodded. "But, they'll be able to help us. Wix would do anything for his son."

Erick signed. "Fine! Fine...I'll show you to your room."

The boy stood up. He had a sack slung on one of us shoulders, in which his things were probably stored in. Erick walked upstairs, hoping the boy was following him. As they were walking in the hallway, matrix stared at the boy, glaring at him. Erick gave Matrix the same look, then looked forward. Soon, he reached the correct door, opened it, and held the door open. The boy nodded to him and walked in. He stared around the room. "Nice place." He said, his voice sounding like a younger version of his fathers.

Erick nodded. "Do you have any questions?"

"Other than can I look around? Freely?"

"Freely? No. With me? Sure."

The boy sighed. Then his face lit up. "My name is Farrow by the way."

Erick nodded, trying to read the boy. His blonde hair was curly and unruly. Some of the locks fell in front of his face, blocking his left eye. His clear blue eyes were filled with confusion and pain, as if he was wounded and in a place he didn't know, which he technically could be. His skin was fair and tan, and his clothes were crumpled at the edges. The sack was leather and worn, presumably an older sack from an ancestor. Erick noted that the boys ears were slightly pointed, as most fairies were. Also that his back was wet, but it didn't smell like sweat, it smelled like clear water. Erick was lucky to have been able to smell elements of nature. At least, he hoped other elves could do that. He never heard of a magical creature being able to do that.

"You know, you can stop staring at me." Farrow said, his voice furtive and secretive.

Erick hesitated, trying to find something to say. "I am just trying to figure out who's staying in my house, that's all."

Farrow raised an eyebrow. "Alright...if you, uh, say so."

Erick walked past Farrow and out the door. He hurried to his room, were he hoped Matrix was.

Matrix was standing at the table, looking at Farrow. His brow was furrowed and he was murmuring to himself.

"If he's...hmm...well, he could be...no..."

"Hey Matrix."

Matrix tensed up, turned toward Erick, growling. His face was hairier, and he seemed more, wild. When he saw it was Erick, the hair shrank back into his face, and his eyes lost their wild look. His body relaxed. "Sorry about that, I thought you were that boy."

"What's wrong with Farrow?"

"I've confirmed that Farrow is a hybrid." Matrix said Farrow's name and the word Hybrid as if they were the most horrendous things known to this world.

"Matrix, Farrow is a cool dude."

"His father is Wix, and he smells like a water creature." Matrix said, his voice growing more determined to convince Erick that he was bad. "Wix decided to create a hybrid son with Malifia, it's not exactly the best thing to do. We have to report Farrow to you father."

"Matrix that could get the fairies against us, they are the second, that's right, the second strongest military in our world. We are only the sixth."

"The werewolves would help you."

"Oh sure, third biggest military to help us defeat the whole ally side."

"The enemies would help you."

"Really? Really! You think they would help? They have hybrids among their ranks. They have the biggest hybrid size because of creatures kicked out of the ally side for supporting the enemies. Their are too many there to even speculate!"

Matrix was silent. He clearly had no argument for that. Finally, he spoke. "Erick...if you weren't a hybrid, then you'd agree with me. Let me ask you one more time. Are you a hybrid?"

Erick felt his stomach do hoops in his stomach. "As I said before, Matrix, I'm not a hybrid. But, I never asked if you were a hybrid."

Erick watched Matrix's face fall. He could hear him gulp. "No, Erick, I'm not a hybrid."

Erick sighed. "Tell me the truth, I won't kick you out. Who was your mother?"

Matrix became furtive, and he stared out the window. He sighed. Erick hoped he had caved in. "Fine, but only if you tell me."

Erick nodded. Matrix hesitated, then spoke. "My mother was Vapor, leader of the Vampires. My father fell head over heels for her, and he couldn't help but try to be with her. She accepted his feelings and loved him back, but if they were to marry, then chaos would reign. They decided on having a child with each other. If it was a girl, they would live with Vapor. If it was a boy, they would live with Bulfred. They had me, and my mother was heart broken. My father allowed her to choose the name. She decided on Matrix, I don't know why, maybe some vampiric God. Anyhow, I lived with my father. Luckily enough I was mostly werewolf, my fangs hardly there. I grew up wondering who my mother was. One day, a week before the war started, the enemies met in the werewolf territory, were my mother finally met me. When she first met me, I was confused on my this woman was hugging me, and I asked my father. My sighed, and Vapor got mad at him, accusing him of keeping her out of her sons life. When I heard that, my life felt like it was crushed. I grew up to excepting hybrids as something I could never be, not something I was. I hated both my mother and my father, my mother for never being there and my father for lying to me my whole life, saying my mother was killed by an archer. That's why I hated elves and was willing knife to your fathers throat still, because I believed that she wasn't my actual mother and it was all a joke. I wanted it to be a joke, I really did."

Erick saw Matrix sighed in relief, as if he was glad it was off his chest. He looked at Erick. "Your turn, Erick."

Erick nodded. He hovered his hand over a book. Matrix raised an eyebrow. Erick sighed, then imagined the book lifting up in the air. He felt the familiar tingle of the magic in his hand, and heard Matrix gasp. "You can use magic? I thought only magic users could do that!"

"Yes, only magic users can use magic, except for nature magics used by fairies. However, hybrid magic users also acquire magical abilities, and are usually more powerful than the average magic user."

"Your partially a magic user?"

"Yes."

"Was your mother the magic user leader?"

Erick shook his head. "My mother was a stowaway. She died in a bombing of our old house. I was only five."

Matrix's face filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry Erick..."

"Don't be, I am fine without her." Erick said, trying to sound confident. The only problem was that the statement was incorrect.

"Anyways, my mother ran off from the magic kingdom and met my father, who fell madly in love with her. She basically was the 'goddess of his dreams' as he said. They married and my father got leadership of the nation. After a year of running it, I was born. My parents loved me and named me Erick after a famous magic user, and the name also was once owned by my fathers father. Five years later, the last year of the war, a nation had someone bomb us, with magic or a normal bomb was unknown end, but it was presumably magic. My mother died after putting me a force field, and I never forgot that day. It was that day that I had learned her name too."

"What was your mothers name?"

"Lilian."

Matrix's face grew ghostly pale. "Erick, I think you might have double leaders blood in you."

"Excuse me?"

"The magic leaders sister, Lilian, vanished around sixteen years ago. She was found dead in the eleven kingdom, eleven years ago. She was declared killed by a bombing. Erick, I think your mom was the original leader."

"Original leader?"

"Lilian was the eldest of the five daughters of the original king. She was crowned as the leader of the magical kingdom, but never wants to be queen. She vanished a week later, having ran away to escape the crown, and she never became leader again."

"Is the magic leader today the second oldest then?"

"No, she's the youngest."

"What happened to all the others?"

"They vanished. Some say they ran away, others say they were kidnapped and murdered. A select few, otherwise known as the enemies, say the youngest kidnapped and murdered her siblings, except fit the oldest. But, if you say it could have been magic that murdered you mother..."

Erick gasped. "No, she couldn't have..."

"The magic leader could have ordered a bombing on your house, just to get to your mother, only because she was her sister."

"So...what your saying is..."

"The magic leader murdered her sisters to get the crown all to herself."