“Hnnnn…. What the crap?” Our favorite Asian sat up from her bed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She glanced over at the clock. It read 2:30 AM. “Who’s in the gymnasium this late?” She yawned and sat on the edge of her bed, putting on some slippers. Christy trudged off her bed and out the door, heading for the gymnasium. She yawned a second time as she headed towards the gymnasium. She opened the door and walked in to see King Matt practicing sword play with a bunch of moving targets. The targets surrounded him and he closed his eyes, concentrating heavily. A deep blue pentagram formed beneath him as an unseen wind kicked up. A portal opened beside him and a large whale came rushing out, crying loudly swimming up and flipping around like it was coming out of water. Bursts of water exploded from where the tail was and hit the targets with phenomenal force, crushing them and causing them to explode. The whale disappeared with a cry as the King opened his eyes, breathing heavily.

“Matt…?” Christy said quietly as she walked over to him. “You’re still practicing?” Earlier in the evening after supper, the King had withdrawn into the gymnasium. He had been in their the entire evening and hadn’t come out. “You should be in bed, you’re gonna be so exhausted…”

The King looked at her tiredly, but smiled none-the-less. “I couldn’t sleep… And I figured I could use the practice. I haven’t had much time lately.” He sat down on the floor, catching his breath. Christy sat next to him, a bit cold in the large room. “Don’t wanna get rusty, ya know?”

The girl just smiled as she looked at the King. “Please. You’re the King of Septrona. You know advanced swordplay and can summon things like that whale and the Huntress,” she told him, remembering back to the fight with Bethany. “You may not remember how to solve differential equations, but you’re a rock star at this.”

The King just sighed as he took a swig of water. “No… I’m not. I’m only a fraction of what my father was.” He looked up at the ceiling as he supported himself with his arms. “My father, King Nortes was an amazing man before he died. He was far more proficient in swordplay and his ability at Summoning was amazing. He had the power to summon anything to his side in or from the iUniverse. I can only summon 7 specific things.”

Christy sat there as she hugged her legs to her torso. “Yeah, but you gotta remember that you’re not your father. He may have done those things, but you have your own skills.”

“I know that…” the King told her as he sighed heavily. “But compared to him, I’m a total failure. The people of Septrona aren’t very fond of me.”

Christy’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why’s that? You’re a likeable guy.”

King Matt just smirked as he looked at her. “I’m gonna tell you something I’ve never told anyone… Please, don’t interrupt as it’s hard enough to tell as it is.”

Christy nodded as the King turned his gaze away from her and towards the floor. He explained the story to her over a period of time, something she had never heard before. It surprised her at what the King had been through, what sadness he had endured. Finally, the King had broken down into his own arms. Christy had never seen him look so vulnerable in the time she had known him. Sure, he could get emotastic when they chatted online, but never anything like this. She squeezed his shoulder and patted his back as he cried, consoling him silently as he cried himself out, obviously releasing everything he had been withholding since that time. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and gave him a hug, trying to convince him of what he said he was. Neither noticed the clock turn to 3:00 AM.