"Just worry about getting better, alright? We're taking care of things plenty over here!" Chihiro shouted as she swung around the door to Hex's infirmary room and slammed it backwards. "Get well soon, Hex!"

As the door slammed shut, however, that brief moment of happiness fleeted from her heart as fast as her smile dripped away from her face. Chihiro heaved a sigh as she pressed her back against the wall, and yet another sigh escaped her as she slunk down and stared at the ceiling. With a wave of her hands, she summoned up a magical checklist and flipped through its pages, all records of the things she'd done in the past couple days: reminders to check on Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster in the infirmary, potential leads and locations to the Eternal Undead Source, missions that needed to be checked out...

But nothing got the Eternal Undead Source back in their hands.

"Day five, still no sign of the Eternal Undead Source's new whereabouts."

Chihiro tossed her checklist into the air as it disappeared into thin air and sparkles, and spun her finger against the cool tile of the infirmary's floors. Though nobody would hear other than herself, reiterating things like this seemed to give her some mental clarity, so at least her verbal records were good for something.

"With Kaos keeping it masked from the Far-Viewer, we've had to resort to the old-fashioned way of doing things, but it isn't doing us any good."

Chihiro slowly pulled herself off the ground, bit her lip, and inched closer to the glass window on the room to Hex's door. A part of her hesitated to peer inside, but a bigger part of her pushed her forward just enough to sneak a quick peek inside.

Hex's infirmary room was clean and pristine as ever; well, aside from the few skulls that rested on her nightstand, just to make things a little more homey for her, and the remaining dishes of that morning's breakfast yet to be taken back to the infirmary kitchens for a wash. Hex herself practically drowned underneath the massive comforters that laid on her bed, and the only visible parts of her were her head and a bandaged arm that laid on top of the comforters. She looked, eerily peaceful as she slept, which was a bit of a surprise to Chihiro—she always thought the undead had no need for sleep, but she supposed she was wrong.

"Cynder, Hex and Roaster are getting better, but even with all the stuff we've got here, they aren't back to prime. Whirlwind said they'd need at least a few more days before they could go back into the field."

And they wouldn't be like this if not for me, Chihiro wanted to add, but she was sure that nobody wanted to hear her self-depreciation, even herself, so she let it rest in the bowels of her mind.

Her eyes stung a bit as she placed a hand on the window, a hand she soon clasped as she drew away from the door and pressed herself against the wall. Though she wasn't particularly sad or mopey, the feeling she felt wasn't necessarily a good feeling. It was a kind of numbness, something that made the entire day a blur she could barely remember. Chihiro squeezed her clasped hand into a fist, and some of the numbness shook itself off, but it didn't entirely cure how, how off everything around her felt.

Chihiro slunk back down on the floor again, and sighed as she sat down and laid her arms on her legs.

"Y'know," Chihiro whispered as she looked aside, "ever since Kaos beat me up that time, I've been so obsessed with getting stronger and beating him because I thought it was what I needed to do so I could protect everyone. But, after we lost the Undead Source, well…" Chihiro whimpered while her head flopped down. "I think I, I, well, I don't know how to put it, but I've been seriously screwing up."

Chihiro's whimpers and that weird stinging feeling started to grow as she curled up into a ball and buried her face into her knees.

"I got so worked up about beating him and being as strong as he was n' stuff that all I cared about what doing that. I wasn't thinking about anybody else, and now look what happened! I caused a monster invasion, I messed up that village, and now…"

Chihiro's head ached just a little as she looked back at Hex's infirmary door, the glowing light that emerged from the door's window more painful than pleasant.

"I wasn't able to do the thing I was working for in the first place," Chihiro whimpered, "I couldn't protect them at all!"

The room around was silent and stoic as Chihiro was while she slunk down and looked aside. Another one of those weird, melancholic feelings came over her as she stared at the identical stark walls of the infirmary's hallway. She guessed this was what people felt when big realizations came over them, all quiet and mopey as the realization dawned like a morning sun, but it didn't feel good at all! It just made her numb and dizzy, like she wasn't even the person who resided in her own body!

"I don't know how to break it to them, but I think that I, I might, I might give up on this apprenticeship. They deserve a better portal master than me, I'm just not cut out for all this stuff. All I do is screw up and get people hurt."

Another soft, shallow sigh emerged from Chihiro as she laid her hands down on the cold, cold tile. As true as that was, what was she supposed to do? She couldn't exactly go back home; not when she couldn't use the portals to teleport herself back to Earth. Even if they did want her to stay here regardless, which she highly doubted, she couldn't subject them to that. She could hardly stay there with them when she caused them so much pain—heck, she wasn't even sure she had the right to call them her friends!

After all, friends don't let monsters run around their friends' home and wreck the place, or nearly screw up important tests, or lose the important things they were searching for to their arch-nemeses and get them nearly killed. If she was in their shoes, she would be so frustrated with herself already! Not to mention, they had someone to take care of portals with Master Eon around; in the end, she didn't have a place here. Anything she could do could be easily filled by someone else who wouldn't cause them so much grief.

"Might as well break the news to them," Chihiro said as she finally got up. "The sooner they sort this stuff out, the better."

Chihiro hung her head and trailed down the infirmary halls; the occasional spotlight from above was a flicker of light among the otherwise stark tunnels, and spotted in such a pattern that the light would flash over her as if all eyes turned on her. The very notion sent chills of fear down her spine, and before she knew it, she went from walking to bolting down the halls and dashing right towards the infirmary door!

"Chihiro!" called a familiar voice that sent a shock down her spine.

Chihiro gasped as she froze in place, and she whipped around to find none other than Spyro in the hallway's open space! He beamed back at her with those warm, golden eyes that made her feel a little safer, a little less vulnerable, as he held a couple empty potion bottles in his paws, but even those he stowed aside before he flew up to her.

"How's Hex?" Spyro asked as he finally met Chihiro's gaze. "I haven't been able to check on her lately, what with Ghost Roaster's head injury needed extra care and all."

Chihiro's eyes fluttered, and she forced a smile and shook her head as she stepped back. "Oh, Hex? She, she's fine, she's still a bit busted up and all but she's definitely making progress."

"Thank goodness! I hadn't seen her since that night." Spyro's face faltered as he looked towards Chihiro. "Hey, Chi, is something up? You seem kinda shaky."

Chihiro froze, bit her lip and shook her head. Truthfully, a tiny part of her wanted to open up to Spyro—after all, that looks in his eyes was so kind and understanding, and something in it made her feel a little less worried about opening up. Besides, he was the Skylanders' leader, so surely he'd understand how she felt after this, right? But, she couldn't burden him with this, not when he was doing double-duty on both missions and infirmary work! He already had so much on his plate, all because of her.

"You sure?" Spyro tilted his head, shook it and pulled it up as he flew back to the counters. "Oh, right, now I remember what I came here for! I needed to refill those potions!"

Chihiro's trembling, blurring gaze fell on Spyro as he collected those empty potion bottles from the counter, and that tiny feeling of wanting to open up and pour her heart out grew larger and larger by the second, until it was so overwhelming that if she didn't say anything, it might have killed her! Finally, her lips trembled with some sort of numb feeling, one she dispelled the moment she forced them open.

"Hey, Spyro?" Chihiro just barely whispered. "Have you ever felt like you shouldn't be the Skylanders' leader sometimes?"

Spyro perked up his head and turned back to Chihiro with that same warm, oblivious smile. "What was that, Chi? I didn't really hear you."

Chihiro gasped, and forced herself into a smile as she grappled for the infirmary door's knob.

"Oh, it's nothing! I'd better get going! I think Master Eon needs me!"

The cold air hit her face as she slammed the infirmary doors open, and shocked her back into the cold, cold reality she faced, but at least the racing in her heart slowed some. The panting she didn't even realize she did slowed a bit, and she glazed over the buildings that huddled around the heart of Ancient's Peak, the layout of which now seemed more alien to her than anything. Master Eon was probably in his study, so she trailed up to his citadel's door and knocked. It would be best to tell him first in the safety of closed doors, after all.

"Who's there?" Hugo's muffled voice cried from the other side of the door as footsteps drew close.

The door yanked open, and on the other side was a very exhausted Hugo, who had paper and notes stuck all over his disheveled brown fur as his tired eyes sunk into the massive bags on his face. God, he looked like he hadn't slept in days! Which, he hadn't, for he was just as busy as they were from taking care of his duties and helping them look for the Eternal Undead Source simultaneously. Just the sight of him churned Chihiro's stomach; he looked as awful as he did because he couldn't rest, all due to Chihiro's mistake! Just another reason she needed to resign.

"There you are, Chihiro!" Hugo grinned as he patted down his fur. "Master Eon was looking for you!"

Chihiro cringed as her sick stomach started to tie itself in knots. He, wanted to see her? Perhaps he got the same idea, and was ready to kick her to the curb? Why did the very notion make Chihiro sick to her stomach if they had similar plans and ideas?

"We compiled the list of sightings and possible locations for the Eternal Undead Source earlier, but some things came up, so we were hoping you could take them and use the Missionator to arrange investigation teams!"

Oh, so it was just more of the same old stuff they’d done for the past several days. That sick, sick feeling in Chihiro's stomach eased itself as she forced a nod, her head hung low so her own eyes wouldn't have to lay on Hugo's tired face.

"Great! Everything's waiting for you under the stairwell!" Hugo turned around and bolted towards the stairs that led to one of Master Eon's many personal libraries. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go help Master Eon!"

Chihiro frowned, shook her head and slapped her face. Wait, what was she doing? She came here to tell them she was resigning, not to just stick around and do stuff!

"Wait, Hugo!" Chihiro called as she dashed into the citadel. "I need to tell you—" Chihiro frowned as Hugo dashed to the top of the stairs, completely oblivious to Chihiro's words "—something."

Chihiro lowered her head and sighed as Hugo hit the top step and ran up to Master Eon. She'd follow after him, but they both seemed pretty busy, and she didn't want to be even more of a bother. Guess she'd just tell them another time. So, Chihiro just trudged underneath the stairwell and glazed over a small table, the top of which was completely eclipsed by a large corkboard piled with notes and books and other things. It would probably be easier to move this stuff to the portal room, since the Missionator was located there now. So, she grabbed a couple of the books and held them tight against her chest.

"Now, this crystal increases magic power, so…"

Wait, was that Master Eon's voice? Chihiro frowned and lifted her head, but shrugged it off as she grabbed a few more books and tucked them in her arms.

"Do you think something as small as that can handle such powerful warp magic?" Hugo asked up above.

Warp magic? Why would they be discussing warp magic? Eh, not that big a deal. Chihiro pulled a few paper lists off of the corkboard, then tucked them into one of the books.

"I assure you, Hugo, this crystal is perfectly attuned for a warping spell of that power. Now, just hold it steady while I…"

A bright flash of magic glowed above in a bright rainbow that caught Chihiro's eye for a few moments, and nearly made her lose her grip on her books.

"Now, what that taken care of," Master Eon said before he cleared his throat. "How are the preparations coming along for young Chihiro's next exam?"

Next exam? Chihiro fell to her knees while books spilled out of her hands and fell open on the floor, but Chihiro herself hardly noticed them as she pressed her hands against the floor and tried her hardest not to collapse! After all, there was no way in her right mind that she was prepared for this exam! Heck, she wasn't strong enough or smart enough for any of this portal master stuff!

Chihiro panted fast, shallow pants as she dug her fingers into her scalp and tugged at her hair. Why did she agree to do this when she was never gonna be the portal master they need? She was useless, a letdown! After all, she couldn't even stop Kaos from…

Chihiro froze as her whole body broke into a cold sweat out of nowhere! Her breath grew labored and panicked as she looked around, but despite being in Ancient's Peak with no sort of threat present, a part of her told her she needed to run, to fight, to do something before things went bad! Her heart pounded in her ears as she saw visions like ghosts of Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster's twisted, broken and injured figures, all groaning and crying out in pain. Chihiro's clammy hands shook faster as she tried to reach out for them, while the ground around her warped into cold, hard stone. Just then, while Chihiro trudged against the weight of her own body, the Evil Skeleton Knight walked behind Cynder and raised its sword high.

"Stop!" Chihiro wanted to scream. "Leave her alone! Don't hurt her!"

But, her throat was so dry and choked that she couldn't make a sound! She could only watch in horror as the Evil Skeleton Knight swung down on Cynder and…

"Chihiro? Chihiro?"

Chihiro jolted up, and her terrified visions faded as she found herself staring right into Hugo's tired eyes! A frown laid on his face as Master Eon hovered close beside him, and the blue light that came from Master Eon's body showed he was just as concerned.

"Chihiro, is something wrong?" Hugo asked, "You look kind of, not good."

Chihiro jolted in place, forced a smile as she snatched the books off the ground and leaped to her feet. "Ah, I'm good," Chihiro completely denied as she turned around and bolted out the doors. "Actually, I probably need to organize those patrols now, bye guys, see ya, adios!"

Chihiro slammed the citadel door and bolted closer and closer to the portal building's doors, her vision shaky as if everything around slipped and slid and warped itself underneath her feet. The blood rushed back into her ears, and she was so shaken that she could hardly comprehend her own surroundings. Everything felt blurry and strange in her mind, like she wasn't even real!

Her mind was in a complete haze, save for that time that repeated in her brain on a nonstop loop. Soon, it wasn't the only one though. Every little mistake, every tiny blunder, every single flaw of hers, it built up higher and higher until it became a mountain of her failures and shortcomings. The guilt was a knife that stabbed into her very soul, and her chest hurt so, so much from the wound.

Chihiro stumbled over her own feet and barely balanced herself, but finally tripped and fell on the grass, though it felt a lot harder than it normally did. Chihiro hyperventilated as she dug her elbows into the earth and used it to push herself back up; when she looked up, she found herself back at the portal building's doors! Strained, choked sobs croaked out as Chihiro pushed the doors open with all her might, stumbled inside and collapsed onto the cold, cold floors. Thankfully, those visions seemed to have gone away, but the pain they brought her was still so real.

It was like just seeing it sent her back to that battle again; that battle where they all nearly died, where she barely escaped with their lives, where she failed to fulfill her duties as a portal master. No, even worse—she failed to protect them as their friend. Chihiro wanted to just curl up and die, she wanted to cry until the sky turned blue from night, but she couldn't just sit and wallow in her own pity! What would they think? So, she reluctantly pulled herself off the floor, even though her whole body felt like gelatin that would collapse in on itself at any moment, and shook her head.

"It's time to get to work, Chihiro."

Chihiro sniffled, wiped off her nose and eyes before she stormed down the halls, but froze as an odd, empty feeling came over her. She frowned as she looked down at her open arms, sighed and turned tail back to the portal building's doors. Seems she dropped the books in her outburst, but oh well. She still had a little bit before they started on patrols—she'd just pick those books back up from outside, get in here, and collect the rest when she was sure Hugo and Master Eon forgot about her little breakdown.

"It's just one more day. After this, you'll never cause them pain again."