Moments later, I awoke and saw a huge bull-like hybrid. He was about seven feet tall with massive horns and a dragon foot tattooed on his chest. He walked over to Jack and had the other hybrid on his shoulder. I looked around and saw Broadie and Steve just lying there motionless. I continued to look, but I didn’t see Lucius anywhere.

“Where’s Lucius?” I shouted. 

The bull-like hybrid said in a very low deep voice, “I thought you were dead. You should have just stayed there. I would have never known.”

I repeated myself growing more and more angry by the sight of my fallen comrades. As he walked toward me I shouted, “WHERE. IS. LUCIUS?”

The hybrid said, “He’s gone. And you are about to be gone, too.”

Then I imagined Lucius begging for his life and being killed by the horrific bull-like hybrid. So I mustered up all of my strength and I picked up my sword and I ran eagerly toward the hybrid.

The bull-like hybrid threw the electric hybrid from his shoulders to the ground. As I attacked, the hybrid blocked with nothing but his bare arms. My sword had little to no effect on his body but I didn’t care. I just kept swinging. I had no other choice.

If I didn’t at least try my very best and the hybrid ended up killing people, I would never be able to forgive myself. The only thing that went through my mind was, ‘I have to stop this hybrid. Not only for the sake of the Umi tribe but also for Lucius.’

Lucius’ words kept replaying in my head, “Very commendable, you have my respect.” So, I kept swinging.

Just as I was getting tired, and began to feel like I was getting nowhere, one of my strikes broke through the hybrid’s skin, so I began swinging harder and faster until I saw flashes of light coming from my sword.

At first, I thought it was my imagination, but after a few seconds, it was undeniable. At that moment, I remembered what the old man said at the induction ceremony: “This sword is special...”

My sword was glowing and radiating heat. The bull-like hybrid began to back up and then he jumped backward about twenty feet.

I ran toward him while he stood there taking a deep breath and blew a thick, mysterious greenish-brown smoke cloud from his mouth. It came out so fast that in seconds the hybrid was no longer visible, and the smoke was within inches of my body. It almost touched me, but before it could, I was moved out of the way by what appeared to be tree branches.

“Don’t breathe it in; I’m pretty sure it’s toxic!”

It was Lucius, alive and well! As Lucius pulled me toward him, his arm changed from wood back to normal.

I looked at Lucius and said, “Whoa! Thanks. I’m so relieved that you’re okay: the princess would have killed me if I let you die on my watch!” Lucius glanced at me and then focused on the toxic smoke.

When the mist disappeared, two hybrids were gone and Jack was still lying face down in a puddle of water beside Broadie, who was beginning to wake up.

I looked around and saw Steve limping towards Lucius and me. Then I noticed that civilians were beginning to surround us all. They just stood there whispering to each other, a lot of them gawking and some pointing at me.

Some of the people whispered things like, “Were those hybrids? Was his sword glowing? I’ve never seen that before. Who is that kid? Where did those monsters go? He can’t be from the Umi Tribe, but he’s wearing the Umi Tribe emblem.” 

Lucius slapped me on the shoulder and said, “Good job, kid.”

Back at Dr. Kyro’s Laboratory, the doctor stood up on his own while holding his side. “I’m okay, Your Excellency. I don’t need to go to the infirmary.”

“Nonsense, you will come with us immediately.” The princess demanded.

“I SAID I’M FINE!” The doctor shouted. “I am capable of treating myself!” Then the doctor saw the troubled expressions of the princess and the others.

The doctor immediately apologized, “Your Excellency: please, forgi-”

“Forget about it! You’ve gone through a lot. I understand, you’re stressed out. If you feel that you can treat yourself, then by all means, you are free to do so. You are a doctor, right?”

The princess walked closer to Dr. Kyro until they were only a breath apart, and she looked him directly in the eyes and pointed her index and middle finger at him and said, “But next time, it’ll be in your best interest to remember who you’re talking to. Are we clear?” 

The doctor bowed quickly as if he wasn’t even hurt. “Yes, your excellency. You have my most sincere apologies.”

Meanwhile, team Alpha was at the transit station closing our assignment. 

“Cuff him now! Before he wakes up!” Steve shouted, so Broadie and I quickly put energy cuffs on Jack Findle.

Lucius faced the civilians with his arms up, “Salutations, Ladies and Gentlemen! What you see here is a dangerous ice-breathing hybrid. So, please, stay back. Seriously, get back! You there, lady with the facial hair, please get back.”

“Come on guys! We have to get back to the station!” Steve demanded.

When we arrived, there were many protectors waiting for us. They bombarded us with questions. “How many were there? Did you kill ‘em? Is he dead?”

Steve told the crowd of Umi Tribe protectors very calmly: “We must speak with the Princess immediately.”

One of the men shouted, “I know where she, I’ll escort you there. But before we go I’ll have someone call to inform her that you’re on the way.”

“The princess is in the Umi Tribe Capitol building,” the same man confidently asserted.

“I could have guessed that she’d be here you moron! This is her office!” Steve rudely snarled. 

The guy who escorted us just walked off with his head down saying, “I just wanted to be included.”

We all continued into the building, Broadie and I carrying Jack Findle by the shoulders.

Next Chapter: JACK FINDLE? A HYBRID?