Nikita followed Malachi, jogging to catch up with him.

"How do you know who I am?" She asked him.

"And how do you know the Ender Dragon?"

"It is a long story, one that is better told where it's warm." He said, looking at her, his eyes sparkling.

Do you know how he knows me? She asked the Ender Dragon, who was flying above them.

No. She said.

Nikita sensed her confusion, and knew that both of them were just as confused.

"My house is here." He said, walking up the path that lead to a very cozy looking log cabin.

Pine trees surrounded it, a large clearing covered in snow stretching out behind it. Malachi pauses for a moment, looking towards the Ender Dragon, and she sensed him talking to her.

"You can talk to her as well?"

"Yes." Said Malachi.

"Those of us with special abilities can talk to each other through mental connections and with the Ender Dragon because she has a mental connection like we do." He said, shutting the door behind her.
Nikita was only confused more by this.

"Come, sit." Said Malachi, walking into the next room where a long wooden table stood.

She took the seat across from Malachi's and turned towards him.

"This will be a lot of talking, so bare with me." He said.

"It may not all make sense at first, I don't expect it to. It is confusing."

He looked at her.

"I'm going to get straight to the point and then elaborate." He said.

"You know the first Chosen One?" He asked.
Nikita nodded.

"He was from Whitecap. I knew him, he was my best friend for years before the war started. That's how I know the Ender Dragon. His name was Gabriel. He was kind, brave, funny, and protective. He loved to read and train. He often hunted in the woods with me and explored the areas around Whitecap."

Malachi took a deep breath and let it out.

"He is also your father, Nikita."

Nikita stared at Malachi, his words not quiet registering. She felt like she had just plunged into a frozen lake and had been yanked back out again, the coldness of the water shocking her body.

"He's what?"

Malachi looked out of the window.

"He's your father, Nikita. You were born at the tale end of the First War. Sixteen years have passed between this war and that one, your age."

"Your mother and father met in the aftermath of a battle. Your mother, Aria, had the unique ability to heal severe wounds. Some were still out of her control but most she could heal."

"Gabriel saw her working on healing soldiers on the battlefield, and offered her water. They got to talking, found that they had many things in common and became fast friends."

"Though all the battles they fought they became closer and closer, friendship becoming more. When there was a break in the fighting they got married in the small village of Stonecrest, not far from where the final battle took place."

"Knowing that the war wasn't over they enjoyed their time together, and three months later had you. Now that Aria was pregnant she couldn't fight, and Gabriel went to battle alone."

"I stayed with her, watched out for her and took care of her while Gabriel was gone. When you were born Gabriel was lucky enough to be there, and he was able to see his little girl."

Malachi smiled, as if remembering a memory.

"He was so proud. He loved you from the moment he saw you, never wanting to let you go. Aria has decided to name you Nikita because the name fitted the daughter of the Warrior. It was fierce and strong, just like you."

Malachi's eyes then became sad.

"Three weeks after that your father died banishing Herobrine back to the Ether. He only had limited time with you, and I know he regretted not spending more time with you, but it couldn't be helped."

"When your mother found out she blamed herself, telling herself that if she had been there she could have saved him. I told her that he was beyond saving, to weak to even talk when we found him."

"She didn't believe me, and instead continued to blame herself, and she eventually got sick, but her powers couldn't save her. She was too weak, too heartbroken to recover."

Nikita watched as Malachi's eyes became glassy.
"Pretty soon I was the only one you had left. I took you back to Whitecap, I thought you would be safer there. You were four at the time, a lively thing, always wanting to explore."

"I let you, wanting you to be as happy as possible. I treated you like my own child, and my wife Aieslynn and I took care of you."

Nikita felt her own eyes burn.

"So that's why I have faint memories of my mother and none of my father." She said quietly, looking into Malachi's sad eyes.

"That's why I remember you more than my own parents, why I have these powers, the abilities."
She paused, her breath hitching as tears welled up in her eyes.

"You're the only family I have left."

Malachi nodded.

"There is more if you want to know how you came to be in Brimstone." He said.

"Yes, I would like to know." Nikita said, urging him on.

"A year later Herobrine returned." He started.
"He found a way to come back from the realm where we banished him. He found out through his spies that Gabriel had had a child, one just as gifted as he was, able to banish him again."

"So he set out to take you for his own, use your power to his advantage. He found out that you lived with me in Whitecap."

"He sent a Master to collect you. The attack came at night. The Master broke through the window of your bedroom. I heard the glass shatter, your scream and knew the worst had happened. I came into the room sword drawn, but the Master was already winging his way towards Shadowstone."

"I contacted a few of my friends to help me get you back, and together we followed a Servant to the Shadowstone portal and ambushed them, taking their Ender Eye and traveling to Herobrine's secret hideout.

"Once there we quickly found your 'family'. They looked like you, a clever move by Herobrine. No one would question a child that looked like her parents."

"We quietly slipped into their house, took you and escaped before they knew what had happened. Once you were out of there we made our way back to Whitecap, but knew that you weren't safe there."

He paused to take a breath, and Nikita spoke.

"So I was in Shadowstone with a family that looked like me." Said Nikita, disbelieving.

"Even though they weren't. No one questioned it?"
"No one dared to question it." Said Malachi.

"He knew what he was doing. Making you think you had lived there all your life, replacing your few memories of your real life with those of life in Shadowstone."

"That's..." Nikita trailed off, trying to think of something to sum up how she felt.

"Twisted? Evil? Wrong?" Malachi supplied.

"Yeah." Said Nikita.

"It is." He said, agreeing.

"We decided that we would take you to the one city Herobrine couldn't take: Brimstone. We came up with the story that we found you on the edge of the city and that your parents had died along the trail."

"A family in one of the villages along the outskirts of the city took you in, but you didn't want to leave me or Aria."

"It was hard saying goodbye, but we watched you grow up from a distance, making sure that you were safe."

"We were glad that your powers hadn't emerged yet, Gabriel's hadn't manifested themselves until he was 17, but when a Servant met with you we thought about intervening, but knew that this was the only way for you to get to the Ender Dragon."

"So we let you go on the journey, watched you grow up, become stronger. When you went to Shadowstone we waited out of sight, but when we saw you traveling with the army we thought we had lost you."

"I knew that we hadn't, and I was proved right when you escaped. Sadly we couldn't help you fight because we were chased away from you by several Servants. Instead we returned here to wait for you arrival, as we knew Herobrine wouldn't be defeated there."

Nikita shook her head.

"You went through all of that for me?"

"I felt that it was my duty to Gabriel and Aria to make sure that you were safe, and now here you are, sitting in front of me all these years later, grown up."

Malachi smiled.

"He would be proud."

Nikita smiled back, her brain still trying to process what Malachi had just told her.

"I wish that I could have known him." She whispered after awhile, still trying to process what she had just learned.

"I wish that I could have known them both. That they would both be here."

"I wish that to." Said Malachi.

"But we must fight for what we lost."

Just then someone came into the room, a women with light brown eyes and long, dark hair.

"This is Aieslynn, my wife." He said.

"Nikita?" She asked.

"Yeah." She said.

"It's been so long..."

Aieslynn came over and hugged her tight.

"I'm glad to see that you are still alive, and that the Ender Dragon is doing well."

Nikita smiled.

"Would you like something hot to eat?" She asked her.

"The journey must have been rough."

"Yes please." Said Nikita, her stomach rumbling.

She hadn't had a hot meal in what felt like forever.

"I second that." Said Malachi.

"Alright. I'll have dinner ready soon then." Said Aieslynn, walking back into the kitchen.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes." Said Malachi.

"If you can speak to other people through your mental connection, can you share memories?"

"Yes." Said Malachi carefully.

"Do you want me to show you memories of your father and mother after we eat?" He asked her, knowing what she was thinking.

Nikita nodded.

"Dinner is ready!" Called Aieslynn, coming into the room with hot soup.

She set each bowl on the table in front of them and then went back to retrieve hot bread and drinks.

Once everything was set up they began to eat, Nikita feeling like she finally truly belonged somewhere.

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Alright, I need to know ONE THING: Does this make sense? This is VERY important, as this chapter will most definitely be under HEAVY editing when I am done with the book, so your feedback is needed.
Thank you,

~~Nightfury107