Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hello! You can call me Astraea or Star (he/they)!

I love Watcher Grian so much and there's never enough of it on Wattpad or Ao3, so here's some content.

I have no idea which direction this story will go in but just know... I do NOT kill off characters unless it's an OC. I have no intention of doing so.

The characters might be ooc (out of character) since there are too many personalities to keep track of and I mainly watch Grian, Mumbo, and Scar's POV.

Ships:
Past Taurian
Mumscarian
Convex
Bdoc
Beetho
Hex
Renskall

The general warnings for this story are as follows:

Brainwashing/hypnotizing, blood/injuries (either minor or major in some instances), violence (either minor or major), verbal/emotional/physical abuse, weapons (cause Minecraft), isolation, dissociation, body dysmorphia, and character death (if you guys want it in the end).

If you ever need to read them again, they'll always be there^

If this story isn't for you because of the warnings, I would recommend not reading it, but then again it's up to you. Just be safe when reading and if you need to, take breaks in between!

If you're not bothered by the warnings because you love Griangst, then happy reading while I question your sanity! :D

𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪 

Grian didn't remember most of his life before he was taken here.

All he knew was that he was alone and mourning.

'Mourning what?' he's asked himself many times, always coming up empty.

Everything was dark, and the sound of his shallow breathing was the only thing keeping him from dissociating.

He was injured, he could feel his bones aching, blood trickling out of his mouth.

Then there were footsteps, light ones.

Then voices.

They were muffled, his ears still ringing from whatever had happened.

The footsteps moved towards Grian, then he felt something poke his stomach, making him grunt.

"╎ℸ ̣ 'ᓭ ᓭℸ ̣ ╎ꖎꖎ ᔑꖎ╎⍊ᒷ." He faintly heard.
("it's still alive")

"∴⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ᔑ∷ᒷ ∴ᒷ ᓭ⚍!¡!¡𝙹ᓭᒷ↸ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ↸𝙹 ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ ╎ℸ ̣ ? ꖌ╎ꖎꖎ ╎ℸ ̣ ?" The other one spoke.
("what are we supposed to do with it? kill it?")

Grian had no idea what they were saying as he felt like sleeping, preferably forever at that moment.

"リ𝙹... ╎ℸ ̣ ᓵ𝙹ᒲ!¡ꖎᒷℸ ̣ ᒷ↸ ╎ℸ ̣ ᓭ ᒲ╎ᓭᓭ╎𝙹リ. ╎'ᒲ ᓭ⚍∷ᒷ ∴ᒷ ᓵᔑリ ⎓╎リ↸ ᓭ𝙹ᒲᒷ ⚍ᓭᒷ ⎓𝙹∷ ╎ℸ ̣.." Grian heard them say before blacking out and feeling himself being lifted.
("no... it completed its mission. i'm sure we can find some use for it.")

Ever since that day, Grian has been living with the Watchers.

When he was taken in though, he had to undergo the 'initiation'.

That included gaining a pair of lavender-colored wings through excruciating pain, having to read some rule book that was set in place for all Watchers, learning their language, and at-the-time-Grian's least favorite 'activity'...

A Watcher had strapped Grian down to a chair and began some chant that lasted for 3 hours.

Whatever the Watcher said, it made Grian's head and body numb.

It made him forget who he was, it made him forget his friends, his past. It even made him forget how to feel.

All within 3 hours.

And along with all of that, spawned a new name...

Xelqua.

He didn't know why the Watchers gave him that name, but he went along with it.

He went along with everything they did.

If he made a mistake; big or small, he would go along with any punishment given.

If he showed the slightest emotion or acted out of line, he wouldn't lash out and instead let them imprison him in his room for who knows how long.

If he talked about the overworld or even mentioned it, he could handle being the target practice for their electric code buzzing in their veins.

He was used to it.

And if anybody asked him if he's happy with the Watchers, he would say he wasn't supposed to feel or show happiness, but he's quite happy living with the demi-gods.

At least, that's what his mind was saying.

His heart, however, longed to be somewhere else.

But Gri- Xelqua wouldn't listen to it.

His place is here, with the Watchers.

That's where he'll ever be, right?

Chapter Text

"||𝙹⚍ ∴ᔑリℸ ̣ ᒷ↸ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᓭᒷᒷ ᒲᒷ, ⊣ᒷリᒷᓭ╎ᓭ?" Xelqua said as he bowed.
("you wanted to see me, genesis?")

"ᔑ⍑, ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ." She started, "╎ ⍑ᔑ⍊ᒷ ᔑ ᒲ╎ᓭᓭ╎𝙹リ ⎓𝙹∷ ||𝙹⚍."
("Ah, xelqua" "I have a mission for you")

Xelqua perked up a bit; after all, he hadn't been on a mission thus far.

"⍑ᒷ∷ᒲ╎ℸ ̣ ᓵ∷ᔑ⎓ℸ ̣." She spat out the word, "╎ ∴ᔑリℸ ̣ ╎ℸ ̣ ⊣𝙹リᒷ, ᔑリ↸ ᓭ╎リᓵᒷ ╎ℸ ̣ 'ᓭ ᔑ !¡∷╎⍊ᔑℸ ̣ ᒷ ᓭᒷ∷⍊ᒷ∷ 𝙹リꖎ|| ᔑᓵᓵᒷᓭᓭ╎ʖꖎᒷ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ⎓∷╎ᒷリ↸ᓭ... ∴ᔑℸ ̣ ᓵ⍑ᒷ∷ᓭ ᓵᔑリ'ℸ ̣ ⊣ᒷℸ ̣ ᔑᓵᓵᒷᓭᓭ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ╎ℸ ̣ ᒷᔑᓭ╎ꖎ||."
("Hermitcraft" "I want it gone, and since it's a private server only accessible to friends... watchers can't get access to it easily")

Xelqua was confused. Wouldn't that mean he also couldn't get access since he, too, was a watcher?

Genesis shook her head, "╎ ꖌリ𝙹∴ ∴⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ||𝙹⚍'∷ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎リꖌ╎リ⊣, ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ, ᔑリ↸ リ𝙹. ⎓𝙹∷ℸ ̣ ⚍リᔑℸ ̣ ᒷꖎ||, ||𝙹⚍ ᔑ∷ᒷリ'ℸ ̣ ꖎ╎ꖌᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ∷ᒷᓭℸ ̣ 𝙹⎓ ⚍ᓭ. ||𝙹⚍ ᓵᔑリ ⊣ᒷℸ ̣ ╎リ, ᓵᔑ⚍ᓭᒷ ᓭ𝙹ᒲᒷ ᓵ⍑ᔑ𝙹ᓭ, ᔑリ↸ ⊣ᒷℸ ̣ 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣."
("I know what you're thinking, xelqua, and no. fortunately, you aren't like the rest of us. you can get in, cause some chaos, and get out.")

Well, Xelqua already knew he wasn't like the rest of them, seeing as they had lavender skin, void eyes if they took their mask off, and markings of eyes on the insides of their wings. Xelqua had pale skin, dull blue eyes, and as far as he could tell; no eye markings on his lavender wings.

"↸𝙹 ||𝙹⚍ ⚍リ↸ᒷ∷ᓭℸ ̣ ᔑリ↸ ||𝙹⚍∷ ᒲ╎ᓭᓭ╎𝙹リ, ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ?" Genesis asked.
("Do you understand your mission, xelqua?")

Xelqua nodded and bowed once more, "╎ℸ ̣ 'ꖎꖎ ʖᒷ ↸𝙹リᒷ, ⊣ᒷリᒷᓭ╎ᓭ."
("It'll be done, genesis.")

"⊣𝙹𝙹↸." Genesis clapped twice and Xelqua was taken to the Codes.
("good.")

The Codes were self-explanatory. It was a vast open wasteland filled with codes. It was only accessible to admins and, in some cases, moderators.

Xelqua didn't know why he could have access to it, but he figured he was an admin in his past life and shrugged it off. He often used this room to look into other servers, watching other players build and play games.

Xelqua would say it looked fun, only he didn't know what fun looked like or experienced it before. For all he knows, they could be torturing each other.

The amateur watcher looked around, trying to find a lead toward Hermitcraft. He's heard of it before and of the admin.

Then he saw it.

'XisumaVoid created a new world'
'XisumaVoid whitelisted 25 players'

'╎ ⍑ᒷᔑ∷↸ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ∷ᒷᓭᒷℸ ̣ ᓭ ⍑ᒷ∷ᒲ╎ℸ ̣ ᓵ∷ᔑ⎓ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᒲᔑꖌᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎リ⊣ᓭ ╎リℸ ̣ ᒷ∷ᒷᓭℸ ̣ ╎リ⊣... ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ᒲ⚍ᓭℸ ̣ ʖᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ リᒷ∴ ∴𝙹∷ꖎ↸.' Xelqua thought as he copied down the IP address into a text box.
("I heard that he resets hermitcraft to make things interesting... that must be the new world")

He hit enter and waited. Then a grey box with blue popped up.

'Confirm you are not a robot.'

'||𝙹⚍ ⍑ᔑ⍊ᒷ ⊣𝙹ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ʖᒷ ꖌ╎↸↸╎リ⊣ ᒲᒷ...' Xelqua deadpanned, but went along with it, tapping all the traffic lights that were shown.
("You have got to be kidding me...")

When that was done, he was met with 'world loading' and the percentage.

He felt everything around him warp, and suddenly he felt the floor give way, stumbling onto the new ground that replaced the codes.

He looked down, his eyes widening as he noticed he was wearing something completely different. Then he felt his face.

His mask was gone.

He was wearing a green tunic and white leggings that looked like they were either clawed out or put in lava for a second. Maybe even both.

Xelqua shrugged off the scratch and burn marks to look at the green hat on his head.

He didn't like the hat, it made him look like he was going to a costume party.

He left it alone in favor of looking around.

There was a pretty lake next to him.

That was it.

It was a new server, so Xelqua didn't really expect much.

"Everyone here? Did everyone join?" A voice called out in the distance, making Xelqua jump to his feet and dart behind a nearby tree.

'↸𝙹リ'ℸ ̣  ∴ᔑリℸ ̣  ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ʖᒷ 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣  ╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ 𝙹!¡ᒷリ...' Xelqua thought as he peeked out from behind the tree, seeing a lot of players standing around.
('don't want to be out in the open...')

Xelqua saw lines of code linking up to each player, telling him their tags, levels/stats, and if they were an administrator.

He only saw one admin out of the 26 players.

'̇/╎ᓭ⚍ᒲᔑ⍊𝙹╎↸...' Xelqua narrowed his eyes, his Watcher vision letting him see more lines.
('xisumavoid...')

XisumaVoid

Admin=True{All Access}
Level=N/A{0 XP}
Stats=10/10{Health}10/10{Hunger}
Species={ERROR}

Xelqua blinked at the last line of code.

"Alright, since everyone's here... ahem," The admin spoke, causing Xelqua to snap out of the lines of numerals, "Welcome, everyone, to Hermitcraft Season 6!"

That caused a reaction from some players, some of them cheering.

"Everyone here should know the rules by now, and as always, there will be Hermit meetings every few weeks just to see everyone's progress. I hope you enjoy the districts the server has to offer and that everyone has a great time!" Xisuma said, then looked up at the sky, seeing that it was almost midday, "Now let's get supplies before monsters spawn!"

As the players dispersed and ran off in different directions, Xelqua didn't know what to do.

This was his first mission, after all.

The Watcher glanced around for any 'Hermits' that would be gathering supplies before deciding it would be best not to be seen.

Who knows what these players were capable of?

Xelqua brought up a settings menu, looking at the map displayed.

The map was limited and had borders. It was also labeled.

The amateur Watcher was currently in Aquatown, which presumably was the spawn area.

He remembered the admin saying something about districts.

Xelqua whistled, a sound like that of a normal player's humming.

He didn't know where to go first.

He had to stay hidden.

Then he glanced at the ocean in the Futuristic district.

'╎⎓ ╎ ᒲᔑꖌᒷ ᔑ ʖᔑᓭᒷ ⚍リ↸ᒷ∷∴ᔑℸ ̣ ᒷ∷, ᓭ⚍∷ᒷꖎ|| リ𝙹 𝙹リᒷ ∴𝙹⚍ꖎ↸ ᓵ𝙹ᒲᒷ ᔑᓵ∷𝙹ᓭᓭ ╎ℸ ̣ , ∷╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣?' Xelqua thought, whistling a bit more.
('If I make a base underwater, surely no one would come across it, right?')

Then he nodded. It was settled.

He would head for the Futuristic District.

Chapter Text

As Xelqua was walking, he pulled up his settings menu.

He looked at the main language of the server, noticing that it was Common.

Xelqua pinched at his codes, changing his main language to Common. He felt a buzz in his throat and cleared it before speaking.

"Testing, testing." Xelqua stopped, eyes widening.

Holy hell.

He had an accent.

Xelqua didn't expect that but shrugged it off before continuing his journey to the shoreline.

"Now I was thinking about building out on the islands in this district," Xelqua froze in his steps upon hearing a voice, "but I need to act quickly before night comes."

Xelqua looked around, then ducked behind a tree. He watched as a player walked by, stepping up to the shoreline.

The Watcher looked at the codes linked up to him.

MumboJumbo

Admin=False{No Access}
Level=1{125 XP}
Stats=8½/10{Health}9/10{Hunger}
Species=Human

Xelqua blinked at the last line of code once again.

'It says he's a human, but...' Xelqua glanced at the maroon red horns he had, 'maybe it's a glitch, but the Watchers always say our vision is up-to-code.'

He watched as the player placed a crafting table, and made a boat.

'Ah, right. No wings.' Xelqua hummed, then realized something.

He glanced behind him.

He also had no wings.

'No wonder my back feels lighter.' Xelqua thought.

He then heard a splash. Looking at the shoreline, the player seemed to be heading further out.

'He said he was building on some islands...' Xelqua pulled out the map again, 'perhaps I should build away from the mainland myself...'

Xelqua nodded, then realized he would probably need a boat if he was going to get there faster.

'I guess I can play their game for a little while...' Xelqua thought as he started to gather wood.

He then got into a rhythm that felt familiar to him.

Gather wood, make planks, make a crafting table...

It all felt familiar to him somehow.

Except he hadn't been on a server, ever. At least, not to his knowledge.

The tattered clothes he wore also reminded him of something, but he had no idea what.

All he knew was all this thinking was leading to a massive headache, so instead of inquiring his mind further, he set his newly crafted boat into the water and set off.

He made sure no one was around, and he wasn't near where anyone was building. The Watcher stopped rowing before getting up and peering down into the deep ocean.

Xelqua hummed. He wasn't going to risk going down there only to realize he couldn't breathe underwater. Naturally, Watchers are immortal, so they can't die underwater.

Still... Xelqua wasn't going to risk it. He needed lots of materials before building his secret base.

'I could use stained glass and quartz...' Xelqua thought. Those two materials were the only things reminding him of the Watcher base in the void, 'Where am I going to get quartz from though? This world was just created...'

Xelqua huffed, leaning his elbows against the rim of the boat as he set his head in his hands. He did have one idea, but he didn't know how to execute it properly without the Admin noticing someone was cheating the codes.

'Maybe... I can start small.' The Watcher pondered, opening his inventory, 'Maybe wood? Or clay?'

Xelqua nodded to himself before pulling up a digital map of the world in search of a nearby forest, beach, or lake.

'Why did I have to spawn so far away from everything good?' He asked himself, 'Is this normal?'

Xelqua peered up, seeing some mountains in the distance. He figured he could find something of worth near there.

'Alright, time to do a bit more exploring...' He changed the course of the paddles and started rowing towards the mountains.

𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪

"Why'd you stop, Suma?" Keralis looked over his shoulder at the admin, placing a torch on the wall.

Xisuma hummed before shaking his head, "Thought I heard something."

"Guys, these diamonds aren't gonna collect themselves!" BDubs yelled, grunting as he gave the ore another wack with his iron pickaxe.

"Sorry, Bubbles!" Keralis called, "Let me give it a go."

The admin stayed there, watching the two players have a go at the diamond ore. His head moved to peer over his shoulder, squinting his eyes as his vision went through the many layers. Something was out of place- he knew he was missing something.

Yet, he stared at the thousand lines of codes- he saw nothing.

"Hey! You just nabbed my diamond!" BDubs shouted, hitting Keralis' arm.

"It didn't have your name on it, did it?" Keralis pushed him away, running to stand behind his admin.

"X...!" BDubs whined, grabbing his admin's arm.

Xisuma sighed yet couldn't help but smile, "Here, Dubs, you can have one of mine."

"Really...?" BDubs looked at him, his eyes becoming as wide as saucers.

"Really." X opened his inventory, grabbing a diamond from his 5-pile stack, now 4-pile, "Here."

"Thank you, Zooma! Have I told you that you're the best admin ever?" BDubs practically danced around with the diamond he was given.

"You guys remind me every day..."

"And it's the truth." Keralis spoke, "We should start our bases before it becomes nighttime."

BDubs practically shivered at the word, stopping in his steps, "Ugh, don't have to remind me twice. I still need to make a bed."

𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪

"Thanks again for the diamond, X!" A voice yelled.

Xelqua froze where he was gathering clay by a river, his pointy ears flickering toward the sound. He quickly gathered the rest, and pulled himself out of the water, hiding behind a nearby hillside.

A person came into view, his head adorned with a red bandana and a mossy cloak covering his body. His big, beady eyes glanced up into the sky, his mouth turning into a frown, "It's already past noon- I gotta hurry!"

Luckily for the stranger, Xelqua had placed a crafting table before he arrived.

"Oh, someone must have left their crafting table here!" He went up to it and pulled up the menu, "Bed, bed, bed... here we go!"

Xelqua quirked his eyebrow, 'What's the use of sleeping...? It's useless.'

'Hm? What's this?' The person noticed wet footprints in the sand, looking closer, 'Someone's been here recently...'

Slowly, he followed the prints, catching a glimpse of Xelqua as the Watcher was about to run away.

"Hey! Wait right the-'' As BDubs grabbed Xelqua's wrist to stop him from running off, Xelqua whipped around, his other arm rising up and letting out a burst of purple dust.

The grip on Xelqua's wrist weakened as BDubs froze, his eyes widening.

Then they closed as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Xelqua took a breath, holding his wrist as if he'd been burned. He peered down at the player, taking deep breaths.

'What... just happened?' He asked himself, 'What did I do?'

Xelqua blinked, looking around to make sure no one was around to see what he just did.

"We should ask Bubbles to join in on the IDEA." A voice spoke, "Eh? Eh...?"

"You're ridiculous, Keralis." Another sighed.

'Time to get out of here.' Xelqua thought before running off into the bushes.

"Did you hear something?" Xisuma asked, looking around.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just a fox." Keralis assured.

"Of course, of-" Xisuma stopped his sentence as he pushed the last tree branch out of the way, his eyes widening.

"You're stopping a lot today, X-" Keralis stopped his chuckle as he realized what his friend was looking at, "Bubbles...?"

Xisuma pushed forward, kneeling next to BDubs as he checked for a pulse. He sighed in relief, turning him onto his back gently, "BDubs, hey, can you hear me?"

No response.

"BDubs, please, you have to wake up." Xisuma pushed, trying to shake him awake.

Still no response.

Xisuma knitted his eyebrows in frustration, turning his head to Keralis, "Call a meeting- get everyone here, now!"

Keralis nodded as he ran off, leaving the admin with the younger player.

"It'll be okay, B..." Xisuma whispered, his words meaning more to reassure himself, "Everything will be okay..."

Chapter Text

Xelqua panted as he looked behind him, hearing various shouts in the distance. He scowled at himself for being so stupid.

It was the first day of infiltrating a server, and he already sent one of the players into a coma. He knew deep down he couldn't control his powers, so why did he agree to Genesis' command?

Oh, right- because they're the leader. If Xelqua had said no, he would've been forced to go anyway. He has no say in anything the Watchers do.

And if the Watchers ever find out about this, he would be punished severely.

Xelqua froze in his steps, his eyes widening.

'If... the Watchers find out.' He thought, his dark sapphire eyes glancing to the sky, 'They can't see in this server.'

The corner of his mouth quirked up, yet the smile stayed down as Xelqua heard rushing footsteps. He hid behind a tree and a few berry bushes, wincing as it pricked him and tugged at his clothes.

He waited until the group of people passed by, their worried voices talking over each other. Xelqua had once longed for someone to worry or care about him, but that day never arrived, and he had lost hope.

'If the Watchers can't see me, they won't know I messed up... therefore, no punishment necessary.' Xelqua finished his thought, nodding to himself. It was the perfect plan; he could do whatever he wanted, and the Watchers couldn't find out.

Unless...

Xelqua shook his head, 'Nah...'

The only way a Watcher could get in is to manually break down the security lock, and the Admin would most likely notice the break-in and fix it immediately.

He took a breather before standing up and making his way back to the Futuristic District.

ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᔑᒲᔑℸ ̣ ᒷ⚍∷ ∴ᔑℸ ̣ ᓵ⍑ᒷ∷ ∴ᔑᓭ ᓭᔑ⎓ᒷ ⎓𝙹∷ リ𝙹∴.

𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪

'How could I have let this happen...?' Xisuma thought as he breathed heavily through his helmet, the lenses getting fogged up, 'This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let him out of my sight...'

"X?" A gentle hand snapped him out of his stupor. The Admin peered behind him, looking into big eyes.

"Yes? Can I help you, Keralis?" Xisuma turned around, smiling at his friend from beneath his helmet.

Keralis frowned, "Zooma... I know what you're thinking, and this-"

He gestured to BDubs, who was now lying on a bed as everyone helped out in building a small shelter for him.

"This is not your fault. None of us knew this was going to happen." Keralis gave him a reassuring smile as he gently squeezed his shoulder.

Xisuma furrowed his eyebrows, "But I did know! I knew this was going to happen!"

Keralis' eyes widened as he took a step back. Everyone heard the commotion and turned to look at the duo, eyes and faces just as shocked.

"I should have listened to what my Sens- my gut was telling me. I should have checked the codes, I should have checked the logs, anything, everything- I should have checked! Because of me, BDubs is hurt and stuck in a sleeping state. Because of my incompetence, a Watcher is now roaming my server!" Xisuma was now pacing the floors, his hands gesturing wildly.

Joe seemed to be the first to exit his state of shock, rushing up to his Admin and offering a bottle of water, "X- hey, hey! Everything is going to be fine- I just need you to breathe with me, okay?"

"Wh-Wha-" X seemed confused, his hands shaking as he took the water.

"Don't say anything." Joe hushed, "Just follow my breathing."

Xisuma nodded, inhaling sharply through his mouth, his shoulders quaking as he fiddled with the cork on the bottle. He slowly exhaled, his breathing jagged as he popped open the water. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, watching him. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he muttered, "If you'll excuse me..."

He was out of the half-finished building before anyone could say anything.

False stopped Keralis from proceeding after the Admin. She shook her head, "We should leave him be for now."

Doc, who hadn't moved from his spot beside BDubs, had other plans. He pushed past the other Hermits, brushing off Cleo's hand and following where X had gone.

"Doc!" Cleo yelled out, yet her friend ignored her.

Everyone knew not to follow him when he got like that, so they stayed at the building to finish it, wanting to ensure BDubs would be safe in his deep sleep.

𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪

'Maybe... I should look at the logs again?' Xisuma thought, raising his arms as he concentrated on the streams of colorful lines of codes. He picked at one of them, bringing up a screen that sent what every player was doing at the moment.

A lot of them were building and placing blocks, of course. Xisuma knew that. He wanted to protect BDubs from anything that might hurt him.

Xisuma hummed in thought, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. He brought his arms down, dispelling the codes as he huffed.

'What if I...?' The Admin looked down, biting his lip, 'Ah, It would only be for a moment.'

His hands rose to his helmet, two fingers pressing down on either side to snap it loose as he twisted it off.

He would have to be quick. The oxygen in the overworld wasn't made for his kind.

Xisuma brought up his arms again, seeing the same lines of colorful codes. He brought up the logs again, using his extra senses to his advantage this time.

'What's that?' He thought, seeing an informality underneath one of the lines. He squinted until it became clearer, 'Who is... Grian?'

"Xisuma?" A voice spoke from behind him, making the Admin gasp.

Xisuma coughed as he choked on the air, pulling on his helmet and snapping it back into place. He took a few breaths as he got his breathing sorted.

"X? You okay?" The person, Doc, placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him around, "Why did you-?"

"I was trying to see something." X rasped, "Did you need something?"

Doc looked at him as if he was an idiot, "You mentioned 'it.'"

"'It?'" Xisuma tilted his head.

"The Watcher." Doc whispered through gritted teeth, glancing around his surroundings, "You mentioned there was... in the server."

Xisuma frowned, knowing very well Doc would say something first. The Admin was also cautious as he looked around, "Yeah- there might be one flying around."

"Might? So, you're not sure?" Doc crossed his arms.

"Well, I used my Senses." X pointed to his eyes, "And I saw traces of its powers on BDubs."

An Admin's power can only do so much. Every Admin can see codes and how they are linked to everything.

But a Voidwalker was a different story. They could see what an Admin couldn't, and better.

An Admin can see a Watcher's codes if they're right before them, but not when they're hidden. A Voidwalker can see through a Watcher's disguise. This fact alone made the Watchers and Voidwalkers enemies for generations.

That's why Voidwalkers were hard to come across by. Every single one of them went into hiding after the Watchers destroyed their home in The End.

For all Xisuma knew, he could've been the last of his kind.

Only Keralis and Doc knew Xisuma was a Voidwalker. He trusted them to keep it a secret.

"To find out if there is a Watcher..." Xisuma muttered.

"We would have to get you to The End." Doc finished.

"Yep."

Doc sighed, closing his eyes for a few moments before looking at his Admin, "Alright- let's hurry and find the portal then."

𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪

Keralis had decided to get more coal for torches to place around BDubs little shack. He was trying to find a nearby cave, huffing a bit as he decided to dig down instead.

'Ignoring everything my parents taught me.' He thought, laughing a bit. He yelped as he dropped down five blocks, landing on his back, "Agh! Ow..."

He slowly got up, getting his pickaxe out as he began mining around the small cave. He broke through to a different part leading to a bigger mine.

'Ooh, this seems good.' He began picking and tearing at the stone, grabbing any coal he could find, and turning half into torches, "That seems fine enough- time to head back to the others... I hope Zooma is feeling better."

As he spoke, he noticed something glinting in the corner of his eye. He frowned, turning to the source that was buried in the stone.

'Diamonds don't spawn at this level...' He thought to himself, 'And the color is white. I don't remember there being a new valuable resource added to caves.'

He kneeled beside it, inspecting the star-shaped crystal.

'It's shaped like an End Crystal, but why is it here...?' Keralis had a million questions swarming in his head.

His hand reached out for it, barely brushing the edge of it.

The crystal lit up, covering the whole cave in a blinding light.

"Woa- ah!" Keralis yelled as he felt the mysterious crystal drag him into it.

The light dissipated as the yells of Keralis no longer echoed throughout the cave. The crystal spun before falling over on its side, holding its captive within it.

If you listened closely, you could still hear the player's yells.

𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪          𓆩⟡𓆪

"⍑𝙹∴ ᔑ∷ᒷ ∴ᒷ ⊣𝙹╎リ⊣ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ∴ᔑℸ ̣ ᓵ⍑ ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ ╎⎓ ∴ᒷ ᓵᔑリ'ℸ ̣ ᓭᒷᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑∷𝙹⚍⊣⍑ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ⍑ᒷ∷ᒲ╎ℸ ̣ ᓵ∷ᔑ⎓ℸ ̣ ?" Nova asked, peering out of the bay window.
("How are we going to watch xelqua if we can't see through to hermitcraft?")

"!¡ᔑℸ ̣ ╎ᒷリᓵᒷ, リ𝙹⍊ᔑ... I ⍑ᔑ⍊ᒷ ᔑ !¡ꖎᔑリ ╎リ !¡ꖎᔑᓵᒷ ⎓𝙹∷ 𝙹⚍∷ ↸ᒷᔑ∷ ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ." Genesis spoke, barely sparing them a glance.
("Patience, nova... I have a plan in place for our dear xelqua.")

"!¡ꖎᔑリ...?" Nova turned their head, their white mask blankly staring at them.
("Plan...?")

"𝙹⍑, ╎ℸ ̣ 'ᓭ ⋮⚍ᓭℸ ̣ ᔑ ꖎ╎ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ꖎᒷ ⊣╎⎓ℸ ̣ i ⍑ᔑ↸ 𝙹⚍∷ ʖ∷⚍リᒷℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ᒷ-⍑ᔑ╎∷ᒷ↸ !¡∷╎ᓭ𝙹リᒷ∷ ᓭᒷリ↸." Genesis watched as a Watcher Fleet prepared to sweep over the borders of The End.
("Oh, it's just a little gift I had our brunette-haired prisoner send.")

Nova let out a whistle, "╎ ᓭᒷᒷ."
("I see.")

"╎ℸ ̣ 'ᓭ ꖎ⚍リᓵ⍑ℸ ̣ ╎ᒲᒷ ⎓𝙹∷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ !¡∷╎ᓭ𝙹リᒷ∷ᓭ. ᒲᔑꖌᒷ ᓭ⚍∷ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ʖ∷⚍リᒷℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ᒷ-⍑ᔑ╎∷ᒷ↸ 𝙹リᒷ ⊣ᒷℸ ̣ ᓭ ᓭ𝙹ᒲᒷℸ ̣ ⍑╎リ⊣ ᒷ ̇/ℸ ̣ ∷ᔑ ᓭ!¡ᒷᓵ╎ᔑꖎ." Genesis told the Commander.
("It's lunchtime for the prisoners. Make sure the brunette-haired one gets something extra special.")

"∷╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ ᔑ∴ᔑ||, ||𝙹⚍∷ ᒷᒲ╎リᒷリᓵᒷ." Nova bowed before leaving the room.
("Right away, your eminence.")

It would be a new day tomorrow, in which Hermitcraft would soon realize they were finally meeting their demise.

'ᓭᔑ|| ⊣𝙹𝙹↸ʖ||ᒷ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ||𝙹⚍∷ !¡∷ᒷᓵ╎𝙹⚍ᓭ ∴𝙹∷ꖎ↸ ᔑリ↸ ᔑꖎꖎ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ !¡ꖎᔑ||ᒷ∷ᓭ ╎リᓭ╎↸ᒷ ╎ℸ ̣ , ̇/╎ᓭ⚍ᒲᔑ...' Genesis' lips quirked.
('Say goodbye to your precious world and all the players inside it, xisuma...')

They were finally getting their way after so many years.

Chapter Text

Xelqua was exhausted. He had finished his underwater base in the span of two and a half days, but he found himself unstable as he swayed in the doorway. He tipped forward, barely catching himself on the wall.

He huffed as he walked over to his chest full of junk. He grabbed wool and planks before going over to the crafting table and making a bed.

Perhaps, Xelqua shouldn't underestimate these players.

He moved the bed against the wall, lining it up in the middle before climbing under the covers.

He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

𓆩⟡𓆪

"Oh, Taurtis~" A voice echoed throughout the corridor, "Where are you~? Whatever it is, we can talk it out. We're best friends, after all."

I covered my mouth, not wanting to be heard from where I hid. My body shook as tears streamed from my eyes.

I heard footsteps getting closer as they stopped, the sounds of creaking floorboards underneath where  he  stepped.

I held down my whimpers, biting my tongue as I waited with bated breath.

The door flew open.

𓆩⟡𓆪

Xelqua's eyes snapped open, letting out a gasp as he sat up in bed.

"What... was that?" He couldn't help but utter aloud. He blinked, noticing there was a wetness on his cheek. He raised a hand, wiping away the tears, 'What is this?'

He scowled for allowing himself to show emotions.

'Watchers don't do... whatever this is.' Xelqua growled, deciding to get out of the bed, 'That's enough sleeping for me.'

He raised his arms, looking at the lines of codes before realizing something happened while he was asleep.

'They defeated the Ender Dragon.'

Xelqua sighed. He was sent here for a reason. He needed to do something, but what?

He looked around, burrowing through his chest before pulling out a flint and steel. He smiled to himself.

"Perfect."

𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪

"Anything?" Doc questioned.

"Nothing." Xisuma sighed, furrowing his eyebrows at his communicator, "He usually replies within a few minutes."

Minutes went by as they waited, the Admin closing his eyes as he gave up on waiting for his friend to reply, pocketing the device.

"You don't think...?" Doc trailed off his sentence, staring at Xisuma with a flat expression as always. The Creeper-hybrid barely showed emotion, but X knew he was worried from the way he said it.

"I hope not." Xisuma finished for him, "I can't lose him too."

The Admin turned towards the Ender Portal. Doc brandished his sword, looking at his friend, "Ready?"

"Mhm." Xisuma nodded, jumping into the portal.

The whooshing of the portal overcame his senses. He felt himself dropping before feeling the air shift and his boots touch the endstone of the barren land he once called home.

Doc dropped in beside him, immediately glancing around at the half-finished structure of something in the distance.

"Either Team ZIT has been here, or that's something our little friend built." Doc squinted at the structure.

Xisuma zoomed in with his visor, "Wasn't the Watcher- it literally has a sign that says 'Tango was here.'"

"Classic." Doc gestured to the obsidian towers left over from defeating the dragon, "You need to be at the highest point, right?"

Xisuma hummed, "Probably higher... do you have any blocks?"

"Of course." Doc handed him a stack of stone blocks, "I'll be right behind you."

"Thanks." Xisuma tugged on his elytra, firing off the fireworks in his other hand. He took off towards the highest pillar, touching down gracefully. He began towering up as Doc reached him.

"Be careful. I would hate for your stuff to fall off the edge and into the void." Doc spoke as he watched his Admin's footing.

"I'm always careful." Xisuma retorted, standing up on the thin stone pillar to see how high it was, 'This should be good.'

Xisuma quickly and cautiously made a platform for him to sit on. Doc resorted to watching the land below with his crossbow ready just in case.

The Admin got situated, sitting cross-legged on the stone platform as he took a deep breath, in and out. He closed his eyes as his mind drifted into the subconsciousness.

𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪

Xelqua huffed as the fire around him burned brighter and higher.

'Good riddance.' He scowled as he watched the forest go down in flames. The Watcher turned his back, about to walk away.

A scream rippled through the atmosphere, making him freeze in his tracks as he peered over his shoulder.

"Someone's set the forest on fire!" A voice exclaimed, "Agh, ouch, ouch-!"

Xelqua squinted his eyes through the fiery blazes, seeing a brunette in the middle of it all.

StressMonster101

Admin=False{No Access}
Level=20{2225 XP}
Stats=5½/10{Health}6/10{Hunger}
Species=Human

"I wish I had a fire resist right now..." The girl continued, typing something on her communicator.

'Probably asking for help.' Xelqua thought, 'Which means I have to get-'

"Hey, you!"

Xelqua froze, his eyes going wide as he saw the brunette gesturing to him out of the corner of his eye, 'Not good.'

Instead of helping the random player, Xelqua ran away into the underbrush, wincing at the way the berry bushes brushed against his ankles and tearing at the fabric of his already ripped-up clothing.

He heard the cries of the player fading out into the background as he finally got to the shoreline.

Xelqua panted, his feet aching as he dropped to the ground and looked into the ocean water.

His face was messed up. He didn't recognize himself without the mask. Dark bags circled under his eyes, his face had tiny marks and scratches along his jawline, cheeks, and nose.

His hand reached out and grabbed at the water, causing a ripple effect throughout its surface, disturbing the reflection of his face.

His chest ached, prompting him to raise his hand to it.

Da-bump, da-bump, da-bump...

Something beat from within it. It was fast, never slowing down as Xelqua clutched at it. He scratched at his chest before going into a fetal position on the ground as he coughed.

He couldn't get it to slow down.

He didn't even know what it was.

Why did his chest ache? Why were his eyes burning? Everything was on fire.

Was he dying? Was this the end of the amateur Watcher?

'N... no.' He thought to himself, 'I can defeat- whatever this is.'

He wasn't going to fail the Watchers. He wasn't going to fail Genesis.

Xelqua was going to complete his mission no matter what.

𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪

Xisuma gasped as he entered back into reality. Going into his subconsciousness was less than ideal sometimes, but it was always worth it to get the answers he wanted.

'Now I know what they look like...' Xisuma thought before standing up. He called out to Doc, who had been leaning against the stone tower, "Got the info!"

"And...?" Doc tilted his head, "Is it what we think it is?"

Xisuma hummed, "I don't know..."

Doc frowned, "What do you mean?"

The Admin raised a hand to his helmet, "We're not dealing with a normal Watcher..."

Chapter Text

'StressMonster101 burnt to a crisp'

The death message was alarming, to say the least. Cleo's eyes widened as she typed a message; "What happened?"

It took a few minutes for Stress to find the words, but the response made Cleo's blood boil;

"Someone set the forest on fire. All my levels are gone :("

"Coords?"

"{Coords sent}"

A message from Xisuma made her stop what she was doing;

"Stay where you are, Stress."

Cleo clutched her communicator. Xisuma hadn't responded to anyone since BDubs' incident.

Understandably, everyone was surprised when they looked at their comms.

Xisuma's only response was; "Meeting at BDubs' shack."

'He must've found something out...' Cleo thought, taking off to the designated area.

𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪

Xelqua bit his lip, brows furrowed as he looked at his communicator, 'They're onto me...'

The blond Watcher rummaged through his chest, finding nothing of use except a couple of eggs and a few pieces of string.

'I need to go mining...' He thought before hearing a gurgling noise coming from his stomach, 'Ugh, why is this stupid body so needy?'

He grabbed an iron axe and sword, opened the hatch of his home, and swam to the surface.

He peeked his head above water, eyes squinted as he ensured there was no one around.

Once Xelqua made sure the coast was clear, he dragged himself to the shoreline, his clothes seeping with water, making it heavy on his shoulders.

He spotted a few chickens, raising his arm, 'I have to keep a low profile. Maybe I can tweak my Senses to overdrive...'

Once he did that, everything seemed to be louder than before. Xelqua felt his eyes and fingers twitching, becoming more agitated with every breath.

He brandished his axe, raising it above his head and swiping it down with a firm gesture.

𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪     𓆩⟡𓆪

Everyone talked apprehensively as they awaited what Xisuma would say. Stress seemed sad, Iskall trying their best to cheer her up. Doc stood beside X, arms crossed as he held a piercing stare. The Admin, however, kept his head down, eyes shielded by his helmet visor.

"We've never had two meetings back-to-back like this." Scar spoke, fiddling with his cane.

"Yeah, I wonder what's happening..." Mumbo uttered.

"Ooh, this is almost exciting!" Scar grinned, shifting from one foot to the other, earning a strange look from Mumbo.

Xisuma cleared his throat, everyone turning their attention to their Admin, "Alright, I know what you're probably thinking, 'X, why'd you call a meeting when we had one yesterday?' Let me just say that something changed in the Codes, and I can't fix it."

The players shot out questions as soon as he said that, everyone talking over each other.

Xisuma huffed, head starting to ache.

"Everyone shut up!" Doc yelled over them.

It became quiet within seconds.

"Thank you, Doc," X spoke, "As I was saying, there's been a change in the Codes. There's been a breach in the server."

"A what?" Cleo's eyes widened as she stepped forward, "You don't mean..."

"I do." X nodded, "A Watcher has entered the server."

Older players held a look of shock and fear, while younger players looked confused.

Scar raised his hand, "What's a Watcher?"

X looked to Doc, who was seething beside him. The creeper hybrid scowled, "Watchers are apathetic beings who destroy worlds just for the thrill of it. They care about nothing but themselves. Just with one look, a Watcher can see your weakness and what you fear most."

It was silent for a while until X spoke up, "Stress may have seen it when she tried to stop the forest fire. Stress?"

Stress nodded, "Everything is a bit fuzzy, but I could make out a figure as the flames engulfed me..."

Iskall placed a hand on her shoulder.

"They had blond hair and pale skin... they wore green and had white leggings."

"Don't Watchers have lavender skin and large wings?" False questioned.

"That's usually how they look, yes... but this Watcher took on the form of an Admin." Xisuma responded, "Has anybody heard of Evo SMP?"

A few hands, most by the veteran Minecrafters, were raised.

Mumbo blinked, silently wondering why the name sounded familiar to him.

"That server was one of many targets for the Watchers. There have been a multitude of stories written about Evo, and one thing that popped up the most was that the Admin was likely taken prisoner."

"What's the possibility of this Watcher being the Admin?" Cleo asked.

"There's a sixty-five percent possibility." Xisuma spoke, "One of the things I gathered from looking at the Codes is that their name is Grian."

Mumbo gasped, the wind getting knocked out of him as his eyes widened, "I-It can't be..."

"You alright, Mumbo?" Scar asked, looking at his friend with concern.

Mumbo stuttered over his words, "F-Fine, I'm, uh, j-just fine, Scar."

...

Mumbo walked back to his base, head down and hands stuffed into his pockets.

He said nothing to X, choosing to run away right when the meeting was dismissed.

Words echoed within his mind about how it couldn't be him. It just couldn't.

It had been over a decade since he last saw his best friend, who had just returned from Japan the day before. He seemed excited and held high hopes for the future, telling Mumbo how he had always wanted to 'venture into being an Admin' of a server he had an idea of making.

It was a year after when he heard the rumors and saw the news, but he chose to ignore it, hoping that one day his best friend would return with not a scratch on him and a boatload of stories about his ventures and what it was like living in the past and present.

Fifteen years without hearing from his best friend. Fifteen years were spent without anyone to rely on.

Unless you count crippling anxiety and depression as 'friends.'

Mumbo chuckled darkly, finding the thought funny. His gaze dropped to his pale nimble fingers, slightly shaking due to lining redstone earlier; a red dust sprinkled over his fingertips. He frowned, running his hands through his raven black hair and coming into contact with the maroon horns on his head, 'Anxiety and depression really do go hand-in-hand... I mean, look at where it got me!'

The smell of cooked chicken snapped him out of his thoughts. He finally raised his head, hands lowering as he spotted a furnace nearby.

Mumbo looked around. He was pretty sure he would remember placing a furnace near the shoreline.

Walking a bit closer, he noticed a few pieces of chicken cooking.

'Well, I am quite famished...' Mumbo thought, glancing at his hunger meter, 'Besides, it's not a crime if you're never caught.'

He carefully took a piece of chicken, blowing on it to cool it off. As he was about to eat it, he heard something.

Splash!

Mumbo whipped his head toward the ocean, seeing a few ripples disrupting the small waves, 'Huh, it sounded like something fell in... I should probably go check to make sure no one's drowning.'

He crept toward the shoreline, squinting into the water. Mumbo wasn't a strong swimmer, but he wasn't terrible... he would rather not get his fancy suit wet.

He stared at the water, raising an eyebrow when he saw a faint light a few meters down.

"Is that... a building?" he asked no one in particular, "It almost looks like a- ack!"

FWOOSH!

Mumbo reeled back, hands covering his eyes as he tried wiping the ocean water out of them. He held himself in a fetal position on his knees, holding his tongue as the salty water burned his optics.

"What the, agh..." He groaned, "What was that...?"

Xelqua made a run for it once he saw his target distracted. He leaped out of the water and quickly broke the furnace before sprinting away, leaving Mumbo writhing on the ground.

...

'That was close...' Xelqua thought as he sat next to a tree, 'Too close... ugh, I really need to get it together or else Genesis will be disappointed and angry with me!'

He balled his hands into fists, hitting himself on the head a few times.

"Ugh, stupid End- I can't believe I lost all my stuff!" A voice exclaimed as the bushes rustled with movement, "Twice!"

Xelqua darted to his feet, only now realizing how hungry and tired he was as the world around him warped.

"Woah, hey! I've never seen you around before! I thought X said he didn't whitelist anyone for this season...?" The person trailed off, "Unless... are you that guy everyone keeps talking about? The peaky-looky, will-destroy-everything-you-love guy?"

Xelqua furrowed his eyebrows, grabbing onto a tree to hold himself up. It was futile, though, as he suddenly dipped forward, his hand slipping from the bark.

"Oh my goodness-!" The stranger's voice echoed in Xelqua's head before everything faded to black.

Chapter Text

Xelqua could hear them- faint voices from all around him as he finally came to.

"Why haven't you kicked it out already?" A feminine voice questioned, "It's dangerous!"

Xelqua felt a swift breeze of a hand coming near his forehead, "Not at the moment... I can see his stamina is low."

"That doesn't mean it can't try anything else."

"True, which means someone will have to watch him."

"Are you crazy, X!? It's a Watcher, they're unpredictable!"

"I need answers." The Admin spoke, "Why did they knock out BDubs, and where did they put Keralis?"

"Keralis...?"

"Tell me, has anyone had contact with Keralis within the last few days? Has anyone seen him?"

Everyone responded, and all of them had the same answer.

"That's what I thought..."

Xelqua's reflexes snapped up to grab the Admin's wrist upon feeling something warm. His eyes were wide open as he glared at him. Xelqua let out a low growl, "Don't."

Xelqua could see a flash of satisfaction under the Admin's visor, "Ah, I knew that would get you to move."

SHIINK!

A sword was drawn, threateningly close to the Watcher's neck.

"Hands off." A heavily accented voice growled.

Xelqua merely glanced at the offender, his eyes scanning their stats.

Docm77
Admin=True{Restricted Access}
Level=35{2045 XP}
Stats=10/10{Health}9/10{Hunger}
Species=Hybrid(Creeper-Goat)

The Watcher blinked, his face as deadpan as ever as he scrutinized the player's half-mechanical face and the metallic arm that he used to shove the sword closer, nearly cutting into Xelqua's neck.

'Something tells me that those aren't stylistic choices...' Xelqua mused before speaking in a mocking tone, "You must be the Admin's pet."

Doc hissed lowly, and Xelqua could see him physically restraining himself from inching his sword deeper.

"Doc," Xisuma called, "Lower your weapon."

"I will... as soon as he lets go of you." The Creeper Hybrid spoke.

Xisuma sighed before directing his attention toward Xelqua, "You, uh– Greeon, is it? May you please let go of my arm?"

"Come on, Greeon! Jeez, you're so slow!"

"Oh, Greeon!~ Yuki's here!~"

"Come out, come out, wherever you are... you can't hide forever, Greeon...~"

Instead of letting go, Xelqua tightened his grip on Xisuma's wrist, a dangerous look on the Watcher's face as he glowered at the Admin, "What... did you just call me?"

Xisuma was glad his protective suit was made of tough material; otherwise, he would feel Xelqua's raw strength, "Oh, did I not say it correctly, or...?"

"My name isn't Grian– it's Xelqua!" With one final squeeze, the Watcher finally let go before casting his glare at Doc, "There. Happy now?"

Doc grumbled something under his breath as he lowered his sword, keeping it unsheathed just in case.

Xelqua moved to raise his other arm, yet something jerked it back. Glancing down, he realized his right arm was chained to the bed, "||𝙹⚍'⍊ᒷ ⊣𝙹ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ᔑ ʖᒷ ꖌ╎↸↸╎リ⊣ ᒲᒷ..."
("You've gotta be kidding me...")

"We wouldn't want you causing any more trouble, now would we?" Xisuma asked.

Xelqua merely huffed, "Well, you caught me, now what're you gonna do–torture me?"

"I call first dibs." Doc raised his sword.

"Doc–don't." The Admin rebuked, causing the Hybrid to groan in annoyance. Xisuma eyed the Watcher, and even though Xelqua couldn't see the other's eyes clearly, he still felt self-conscious.

Actually, now that he was more conscious, he noted a few other players keeping their distance from the Watcher. He scrutinized them one by one, counting six in total.

He caught the eye of someone rather familiar–a tall, fairly slim, mustachioed guy in a suit. Xelqua narrowed his eyes in intrigue, causing the player to look away.

'He's the bloke I saw by the shoreline, right?' Xelqua thought before blinking at what he inwardly said, 'Blo-? Bloke? What the hell is a bloke? Is that even a word? That doesn't even sound like a real word... bloke.'

"We're not going to torture you," Xisuma spoke, causing Xelqua to return his gaze toward the Admin.

"Oh? That's a shame..." Xelqua uttered, letting out a sigh of feigned sadness.

"Tell me, Xelqua," Xisuma started, "Do you know whose skin you're wearing?"

"What–oh, you mean this body?" With a glance down, Xelqua shrugged, "Am I supposed to know?"

"You tell me, cause that skin once belonged to an Admin of a server that Watchers destroyed."

"What? No way!" There were hushed noises of surprise from the small audience, and even Doc seemed shocked at the news as he looked over briefly at Xisuma.

"...Am I supposed to care?" Xelqua raised an eyebrow, "I can't tell you why I have the guy's skin, just like I couldn't care less that he died at the hands of my kin."

Xisuma was quiet for a moment, seemingly going back to analyzing the Watcher.

Xelqua groaned, "If you're not going to torture me, why don't you go ahead and ban me or something?"

Xisuma nodded, yet Xelqua knew it wasn't directed towards what he said.

"I've made a decision."

"Huh?"

Doc narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "Xisuma..."

"Xelqua," The Admin ignored Doc's warning call, "From this point on, you'll be joining this season of HermitCraft."

"What!?" Xelqua, along with everyone else in the room, exclaimed.

Doc's eyes darted back and forth before landing on Xisuma. With a harsh tap on the shoulder, the Creeper Hybrid led him away to join the other players, "Xisuma, I mean this in the most polite way possible... what the fuck are you thinking!?"

Xisuma rolled his eyes, "Language, Doc."

"English. Now, explain and spare no details."

"Look, BDubs is still unconscious from whatever Xelqua did, as for Keralis... well, no one's heard from him in a few days, so it's anybody's guess what happened to him! Whatever happened to them must come back to the one who caused it, meaning..."

Doc grunted, "The Watcher has to stay in order to reverse what he did..."

"Are you sure about this, X?" False asked, "What if he tries to attack again?"

"The server is full of master PVPer's, I'm sure we can handle it." Xisuma crossed his arms, seemingly unbothered.

"Uh, did you forget what a Watcher can do to a server this big, X?" Cleo questioned, placing her hands on her hips, "We're talking explosions, destruction, perma-death..."

"I'm not worried about it." Xisuma waved a dismissive hand, "This Watcher is... different than his so-called 'kin.'"

"Different... how exactly?"

Xisuma glanced over his shoulder, eyeing Xelqua, "That's what I'm trying to figure out..."

"Well, in the meantime, someone is going to have to keep an eye on him." Doc grumbled, "I have much more important things to do than babysitting, so someone else can do it."

"Not it!" Ren and Iskall blurted.

"Eh... as much as I love making new friends, I don't think I can watch someone who is always watching me," Scar whispered the last part whilst peeking in Xelqua's direction, "And I already have plans with Cub to take over the server, so..."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, and while I do trust you guys–mostly–I don't think I can let him out of my sight, so I volunteer myself for first watch," Xisuma spoke.

Doc huffed, "Whatever happened with talking it out with the rest of the server?"

"Ah, that's right... False and Ren, I trust you two to spread the information to everyone else."

"Of course..."

"Augh, seriously, dude?" Iskall prodded the other with their elbow, "Ow-! I mean–ooh, can't wait to see my wonderful friends...!"

"Now, you're all dismissed–oh, and don't forget the server meeting next week. I hope to see everyone there, including you, Ren. Grooming yourself is not a proper excuse when I know for a fact you prefer nighttime baths." Xisuma lightly glared at the Mutt Hybrid.

"Aw, man..." Ren grunted.

"And Scar, I know you love Jellie, but please stop bringing her to the meetings. She's starting to become a distraction."

Scar gasped, offended at the comment, "No, she's not! If anything, she's just emotional support for the rest of the server!"

"More like a hindrance..." Doc uttered under his breath once Scar was out the door, causing Xisuma to look at him.

"He's going to end up bringing her anyway." The Admin stated.

"Oh, joy." Doc exhaled, beginning to walk out of the building. He glanced back once more, "If he does anything such as touch you, I will kill him over and over again."

"So you say..."

"And I mean it!" Doc shut the door behind him, causing a slight tremor.

Xisuma shook his head, 'Well then, now to deal with–'

"Mumbo!" X found himself saying once he spotted the tall, lanky fellow. He had been so quiet that Xisuma forgot he was even there. "Didn't you hear me? You can go now, mate."

Mumbo blinked out of his frozen stupor, glancing at Xisuma as he took in the other's words, "O-Oh, ah, right! Right! Hahah, sorry, X, I've just been a bit... out of it, I guess. Haha..."

"Is that so? Well, is there anything I can help you with? Did you have a question, or...?"

"A question... uhm, well..." Mumbo pursed his lips, staring past Xisuma and toward the Watcher, crimson eyes clouded with a hazy fog that made the Admin tilt his head slightly.

Xelqua felt the stare aimed at him. He always knew when someone was watching him, and he was beginning to get annoyed when the strange guy with the weird mustache started to stare at him for the hundredth time.

Xelqua scowled, snapping his head toward the weirdo with a glare, "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

"Wha- ah!" Mumbo startled, forcing his gaze away from the Watcher, "Qu-Questions? N-Nope! No questions here, hahahaha...! S-See ya 'round, X!"

And with that, Mumbo left, leaving behind a bewildered Xisuma.

"Uhm... bye?"

"Creep." Xelqua quipped.