Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started like any other day, hermits messing around, adding to bases or parking each other. Doc was angry at Grian and Scar for some reason. There was nothing to suggest what the months ahead would hold. Xisuma hummed to himself while he worked, adding a few warped planks to the roof. Suddenly, he found the air knocked out of his lungs, he could see the sky above him. Someone pulled him to his feet, seemingly in a panic. It was Grian, the avian’s sweater was wrinkled and his hair looked disheveled.

“X! X, h-he’s gone! Th-they took him! X please I don’t know what to do!”

Xisuma gently grabbed Grian’s shoulders to keep him from pacing.

“Deep breaths, once you’re calmer, you can tell me what’s wrong.”

The hybrid took a few shuddering breaths before he got his breathing back under control. There were still traces of panic in his eyes, but he was at least coherent now.

“I had invited Scar over to my base to hide from Doc, but after he didn’t show up for an hour, I decided to go and find him. I went to check his base first, but when I got there, there was no sign of him. T-that's not too odd, but just as I was about to leave, I saw a scrap of paper on the floor. I don’t know why I picked it up, but I did, and it s-said, th-they took him, the watchers!”

The admin’s heart was pounding, he felt a mixture of fear, worry, and anger, anger at the watchers for kidnapping one of his players. He wanted to release his powers, to rip open reality and keep ripping holes until he found where the watchers were hiding, but that wasn’t what Scar, Grian, or the other hermits needed right now. He took a calming breath, before carefully speaking, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I’ll call all of the hermits for an emergency meeting, do you think you can show me the note?”

Grian nodded, reaching into his inventory to find the slip of paper. X quickly typed a message to the other hermits.

Xisumavoid: emergency meeting at my base, come as quickly as possible

StressMonster101: on my way!

TangoTek: be there soon

MumboJumbo: has anyone seen Grian?

Xisumavoid: don’t worry he’s with me

MumboJumbo: that’s a relief, I’ll be right there

Xisuma turned his gaze back to Grian, accepting the scrap of paper the hybrid handed him. He unfolded it and glanced at the message inside. In a neat script done in purple ink were the words,

If you want your precious friend returned unharmed, do as we ask. His fate is in your hands.

There was no name, instead there was a strange symbol that looked almost like an eye. The symbol of the watchers. Just as X finished reading the note, purple sigils appeared around the edge of the paper, briefly glowing purple before they faded. He almost dropped the note in surprise, a matching set of sigils flashed quickly over his comm, but he was distracted by the other hermits arriving. Mumbo landed and quickly rushed over to Grian, pulling the avian into his arms and trying to comfort him, even though he still had no idea what was going on. Once they had all arrived, X clapped to signal the start of the meeting. All talking quieted, and the focus of the group shifted to the admin. Xisuma glanced at Grian,

“Do you want to explain?”

The younger man nodded,

“Scar is missing, and we think the watchers took him”

There were a few gasps of shock, and several hermits began whispering to each other. Grian went on to recount how he had found the note, when he finished, the hermits immediately began chattering.

“We need to find him!”

“How we don’t even know where they live!”

“Or what they want.”

“I’m going to murder them!”

X was about to step in to calm them down, when his comms pinged.

That's strange, everyone should be here.

When he went to check the name of the person contacting him, his blood ran cold.

̇/ᔑリℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑ∷ : Hello voidwalker.

̇/ᔑリℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑ∷ : we have a deal for you.

̇/ᔑリℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑ∷ : Give yourself to us, in place of your player, and we will release him.

“Hey X, are you ok?”

Xisuma looked up to meet the worried eyes of Stress. He smiled slightly, though it was tainted by a tiredness that seemed too old for the admin.

“Yeah, I’ll be ok. I just… I’m really worried about Scar.”

“Oh honey, it will be ok, we’ll get him back, no matter what.”

She had a determined expression on her face as she said this, but it did little to reassure X, he knew the only way to get Scar back would be to give himself to the watchers.

They at least deserve to know, even if they can’t stop me.

Xisuma took a deep breath.

“Actually Stress, I think I have an idea about how to get him back.”

Chapter Text

Stress stood in silence, staring at the admin. Finally, she spoke,

“No, absolutely not.”

Xisuma opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

“I’m- We're not going to let you throw yourself into danger. We will find another way to rescue Scar, one that doesn’t involve anyone else getting hurt.”

Knowing the watchers, that might not be an option.

“Stress I-”

“Whatcha talking about?”

Mumbo had made his way over with Grian in tow.

X sighed, seeing Stress’s expression and knowing there was no way out of this conversation.

“Our dear admin wants to give himself up in Scar’s place.”

“WHAT!”

Xisuma flinched slightly at the sudden outburst.

“Well, they said it was the only way that they would let him go unharmed.”

Grian inhaled deeply.

“Is there anything we can do to stop you?”

“No.”

Stress looked like she wanted to protest, but one look from Grian made her fall silent. The player looked at his admin with a kind of tired sadness, searching the older man’s face for any sign of uncertainty. Finding none, his shoulders dropped, and a look of resignation came over him.

“Please think about your choice, I-I don’t want to lose anyone else to the watchers.”

His voice was barely more than a whisper. X nodded, but he had already made his decision.

“Take good care of the hermits for me, alright?”

Grian nodded, not meeting Xisuma’s eyes.

“You too, Stress.”

She looked close to tears, but still nodded to the admin.

“Don’t- please don’t try to rescue me, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

Mumbo had a helpless expression on his face, looking from Grian to X.

X pulled them in for a hug.

“We’ll see each other again, I promise.”

Even as he said the words, he knew he was lying. He turned his communicator back on, typing his reply.

Xisumavoid: I’ll go in Scar’s place

̇/ᔑリℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑ∷ : Good. Your player will be returned unharmed.

A bright purple light filled his vision, and everything went black.

—--------
Grian PoV

A violet flash illuminated the place where X stood just moments before. When it died down, the admin was gone, and in his place was Scar, curled up on the ground. Emotions warred in his stomach, fear for his friend, anger at the watchers, dread of what would happen to X, and a bit of relief that Scar was safe. Grian rushed over to his fallen friend, Stress and Mubo close behind him. Scar looked unharmed, but Stress gave him a healing potion, just to be safe. His eyes slowly blinked open, meeting Grian’s.

“Wh-what happened?”

Grian pulled him into a desperate hug. Scar chuckled slightly, but it was laced with confusion.

“I’m so glad you’re ok.”

“I mean, it’s good to see you too, but would someone mind telling me what’s going on? The last I remember, I was at my base. I think I fell asleep, and now I’m here for some reason.”

“W-well, um, you kinda, might have gotten kidnapped?”

Scar just blinked at them.

“Well that explains a lot!”

Grian explained in detail what had happened, Scar’s expression gradually got darker, noticing the tears in his partner’s eyes, he wrapped the avian in a tight hug. Grian began to sob in his arms mumbling incoherent strings of words. Scar gestured for Stress and Mumbo to give them some space. Stress nodded and led Mumbo away.

“Do you want to head back to your base?”

Grian shook his head.

“Is it ok if I take you to mine then?”

He nodded. His mind was buzzing with thoughts.

What if they hurt him, and it's your fault?

What if they turn him?

Grian violently shook his head at this.

No, he is stronger than I was. He'll be ok, I’ll see him again, he’ll escape and everything will be alright.

He felt Scar’s fingers gently carding through his messy hair. He tried to focus on the touch, it grounded him, pulling him out of his head.

I really hope X is ok.

Chapter Text

As Xisuma slowly regained consciousness, he became aware of his limbs once again.
His arms and legs felt as if they were being pulled, and there was a weight on his back that he hadn't felt for a long time. He attempted to move his right arm, only to find it restricted by a heavy iron chain. Panic began to bubble up inside him, and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself.as he did so, began to notice the familiar burn of the void in his lungs.

If I’m in the void then…

Xisuma twisted his head to glance behind himself, and saw two large wings, dragon-like in appearance. They were bound by heavy bands, and were acting more as deadweight than anything else. Footsteps echoed in the hallway, getting closer. The admin’s attention immediately snapped to the gate of his cell. A tall watcher stepped into the cramped room, needing to bend over in order to fit through the entrance. They smiled at the prisoner, and X felt his body shudder.

“Hello voidwalker, so nice of you to finally wake up.”

“Why did you want me to come here?”

“The council wishes to see you, they will explain the purpose of your… extraction.”

The watcher unhooked the chains from the wall, detaching them from the shackles, but still leaving the cuffs on Xisuma’s wrists. They grabbed the chain attaching his wings to each other, and used it to drag the admin down the hall. The passages were twisting, and X gave up trying to remember their path after a few minutes. Eventually, they arrived outside of a pair of ornately carved doors, and the watcher dragging him knocked before pushing them open. The room inside was huge, the ceiling was carved with constellations and the fake stars glittered with faint light. Three towering figures stood in the room, snow white wings folded behind them. As the prisoner was pushed into the room, their attention focused on him, and it took all of his willpower not to shrink under their gaze.

“Welcome Xisuma, admin of hermitcraft.”

They spoke as one, their voice echoing in the cavernous chamber.

“Why am I here.”

“You agreed to exchange yourself for your player.”

“I ment, why do you want me? I’ve already set it up so someone else will take over admin duties while I’m gone. What do you plan to do.”

“Call it an experiment if you must, it has been quite some time since we’ve had a voidwalker and an admin at our mercy.”

A shiver ran down Xisuma’s spine at these words.

I hope I’m wrong about what they plan to do.

Their next words confirmed his fears.

“We’ll see how long it takes you to break.”

Xisuma swore he could feel the watcher by the door grinning at him.

“Xanthar will be your ah, handler.”

Panic was building in the prisoner’s chest. He felt the watcher by the door, Xanthar, grab the chains binding his wings.

“We’re going to have so much fun together, voidwalker.”

Xisuma tried to pull at the chains, but Xanthar was much stronger and simply dragged him off his feet.

I hope Ex can keep the hermits safe.

—-----------

Evil Xisuma PoV

Ex didn’t know what to think when they got the message from their brother. Nevertheless, they made their way over to hermitcraft.

If Xisuma is contacting me, the situation must be dire.

They spawned near their brother’s base, they took a moment to admire the build before deciding to try and find one of the hermits. It wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be, Ex found Grian by a strange structure that they assumed must be his base. The avian hybrid startled when he saw Ex walking towards him.

“Hey, um do you know where Xisuma is?”

To their surprise, Grian’s eyes glistened with tears.

“Um, are you okay?”

Shit, I am not good at this.

When he finally spoke, Grian’s voice had a slight quiver to it, as if he was trying not to cry.

“I’m going to assume X gave admin powers to you and didn’t tell you why.”

“Yup.”

“He’s been taken by the watchers.”

“WHAT!”

“O-one of the hermits, Scar h-he got kidnapped a-and they sa-said that th-they were going t-to h-hurt him u-unless X s-swapped places w-with h-him.”

Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit! Brother, you can be such a self-sacrificial idiot sometimes.

Ex awkwardly tried to comfort the small avian, their mind racing.

I hope you know what you're doing X.

Chapter Text

Xanthar didn’t return for a long time. X enjoyed the solitude while it lasted, but he knew it would be over soon. Sure enough, he heard footsteps in the corridor, Xanthar strolled into the cell, Xisuma leveled a glare at their mask and the watcher offered him a smug smile.

“Good morning,”

they purred, stepping closer to the prisoner.

X took the opportunity to headbutt the watcher right in their mask. Xanthar recoiled in surprise and pain, calm facade dropping. They turned back to the admin, snarling.

“It seems as if it is time for your first lesson.”

Xisuma’s blood ran cold.

“You will never strike a watcher.”

Xanthar lashed out, drawing their claws across X’s chest, ripping through the fabric and skin. Xisuma had to bite back a scream. He tasted blood, and his tongue began pulsing with pain as well.

“I want to hear you scream, little voidwalker.”

The claws came again. This time, Xanthar twisted them in the wound, causing X to release the scream that had been building in his throat.

“There we are!”

The claws were back, tearing into his arm, and ripping another scream from his body. When the watcher finally stopped, X had to choke back sobs, he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of crying while they were here.

“No tears yet? Disappointing, but we can change that!”

Xisuma felt pricks of pain in his face, his head was roughly pulled up until his eyes met Xanthar’s. A hand closed around the admin’s throat, cutting off his air. He began to choke, tears silently streaming down his face. Just before the prisoner passed out, the pressure lifted, leaving X gasping for air and quietly sobbing.

“Aw, that wasn’t even that long!”

Xanthar’s expression turned dark.

“If you attack me or any other watcher again, I will do much worse, my little voidwalker.”

They gave X a sinister smile.

“Personally, I hope it takes you a while to learn your lesson.”

“Fuck off.”

“Little admin found his voice did he? Rule number two, Don’t talk back.”

The watcher grabbed Xisuma’s uninjured arm, twisting it behind him until a sickening snapping noise could be heard. X screamed, his throat still raw from being choked.

“I guess I should let you heal a bit, we’ll continue soon.”

The last thing X saw before he blacked out from pain was Xanthar’s smirk as they cleaned the blood from their claws.

—------------

-Timeskip brought to you by Mumbo’s pig-

—------------

Days blurred into each other, X came to dread the times he was left alone just as much as Xanthar’s sessions. The watchers loved to torment him with visions of his friends, their screams would be forever engraved into his mind. Sometimes, they would make him think his friends had come to save him. It was a lie. Every. Single. Time. Of course he was punished for trying to go with them, he had since learned his lesson. The hermit’s faces had begun to blur together, Xisuma could’t always remember their names. It was getting harder to remember his own name. Every waking moment was painful, but he had to stay strong, hold out.

Why can’t I remember?

He had friends right? Had they forgotten as well?

No one is coming for you.

The voices in his head got louder whenever he was alone.

They don’t care. They never did.

He didn’t know his name. He had one of those, right?

Just give in. Let go.

His handler called him a voidwalker. Is that what he was?

Nonononono! Snap out of it!

Xisuma, my name is Xisuma Void. Admin of hermitcraft, brother of Ex.

X kept repeating this over and over, muttering it under his breath as if his life depended on it.

“Hello voidwalker”

When did they arrive?

Out of instinct, Xisuma lowered his eyes, bowing his head.

“Good boy”

A gentle hand ran through his hair, he leaned into the touch, some small part of his mind recoiling in disgust at the action.

“Today we will be doing something different, your naming ceremony is going to be soon, and you still haven’t been marked.”

Naming ceremony? I already have a name, don’t I? Stopstopstop, remember who you are.

The way Xanthar said marked did not bode well. He should try to run, fight back, anything!

No, fighting back only causes more pain, it's easier just to let them do what they want.

A clawed hand gently stroked the prisoner’s wings, he shivered, wings straining against their bonds.

“The less you resist, the faster we can get this over with.”

I can do that, I can be good.

Xanthar was holding something metal, but X was too focused on the gentle scratch of the hand in his hair. He felt a hint of sadness when it was removed. The admin saw a wisp of fire at the edge of his vision and that metal object again. He barely had time to register what it was before the brand pressed into his exposed shoulder, and a ragged scream tore through his throat. The hand returned to his hair and the searing pain dulled to a throb. Something about this place allowed him to heal faster, otherwise he would have bled out a long time ago.

Maybe it would have been better that way. Just let it all end.

“You’re doing so well. Just a little bit more, soon you can let go.”

Helphelphelphelphelp

The watcher was stroking his wings again.

“So beautiful.”

Xanthar’s voice was almost reverent.

“After the transformation, you will have an even more beautiful pair of wings.”

The voidwalker got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Just a little bit more.”

Their voice turned sinister as they grabbed his left wing by the base and began to pull. A silver blade appeared in the watcher’s hand and they began to cut his wings from his back. If he could have screamed, he would have. All that came out was a faint whimper. All his nerves were on fire, the room was spinning. Before he passed out, the prisoner felt Xanthar gently bandaging his wounds. He could see them moving his severed wings from the room. Another wave of pain and nausea rolled over him, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

Grian PoV

It had already been a month since Scar’s return to the server, and tensions were already rising. Ex had taken over admin duties, but they mostly hung out with Zedaph and Hels. All the hermits were missing their admin, and Grian couldn’t help but worry X. He knew first hand what staying with the watchers could do to you.

No, Xisuma is stronger than I was.

Still, the fact that he had assigned Ex as an admin made it seem as if he didn’t plan on coming back.

“Grian! How are you this fine morning!”

He whirled around to find Scar standing there. He was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I’m fine Scar. How is your building going?”

The builder’s smile widened, becoming more genuine.

“Well my friend, let me show you!”

Grian zoned out for most of Scar’s tour, only snapping back to reality when the builder waved a hand in front of his friend’s face.

“You ok G?”

“I-”

“Honestly please, I’m really worried.”

The avian sighed.

“I’m- I miss X, it doesn’t feel right to leave him there.”

“I know, but he asked us not to come after him.”

“But what if wh-what if they turn him.”

“Grian, what do you mean?”

“Can we sit down first?”

Scar plopped down on the ground and gestured for Grian to sit next to him.

Folding his wings, he gently lowered himself to the ground.

“Ok, so I’ve told you that Pearl and I are watchers.”

“Yes”

“Well, we weren’t born watchers, I was the admin of a server called evo, and Pearl was one of my players.”

Grian took a deep breath before continuing.

“The watchers were leading us through our server with riddles and puzzles, until they brought us to the End. They separated us, and after I beat the game, they kidnapped me. I spent so long with the watchers, they tortured me, changed me, pushed me until I almost broke. Pearl helped me, I don’t know how she was taken, but we escaped together. Even though we escaped, they still won, they transformed us into watchers, a process called turning. We were lucky, Pearl managed to get away before her naming ceremony, and I didn’t fully break and give in to them.”

Scar sucked in a sharp breath, his expression uncertain.

“Do you think X can escape by himself?”

“I-I don’t… I don’t know. I know X is a lot more powerful than I was when I was taken, but the thing is…”

He trailed off.

“The thing is what?”

“I don’t know if X will try to escape. I love our dear admin, but if he thinks that his escaping will hurt us or put us in danger, then I don’t think he will even make an effort to.”

Scar’s expression was conflicted, but at last he seemed to come to a decision.

“Ok, if we can get everyone else on board, then we’ll go and rescue X.”

Grian felt relief flood through his body.

“Thank you!”

—---------

Xisuma PoV

Today was special, he could tell because Xanthar almost seemed nervous. Other watchers, new and unfamiliar, stopped by to inspect him. He submitted to their poking and prodding, he would be good today. He didn’t want to mess this up for Xanthar.

“Wake up.”

He raised his head, making sure to keep his eyes down. He hadn't even realized he had zoned out, he would try not to repeat the mistake.

“Good boy, today’s the big day.”

Their mouth twisted into a smirk.

“Are you excited?”

He felt nothing, he hadn’t felt anything for a while. Xanthar seemed pleased with his response (or lack thereof). They moved to unchain him, and without the support of the metal, he nearly collapsed, barely managing to stay on his feet. He felt Xanthar move to support him, hand moving to run through his hair. His instincts kicked in, a purr building in his chest. He flinched slightly as the watcher’s hands touched the scars on his back, but he managed to stay mostly still.

“Let’s go, the council is waiting for us.”

He followed Xanthar down the hallways, not really paying attention to where they were headed. He recognized the ornate doors to the council room, he should have felt panic, fear, anything, but all he felt was an aching emptiness. He felt the council’s eyes on him, until they finally spoke.

“Welcome, you are here for your naming ceremony. This marks the final step in order to join the watchers. Are you ready?”

He nodded, and felt their magic begin to flow through him, changing him, making him whole. A searing pain lanced through his back, as a new pair of wings broke through the skin. The world was on fire, everything covered in a purple haze as he sunk to his knees. Still disoriented, he fought to stand. Xanthar pressed something into his hands, a blindfold. Or rather, a mask. As he tied it around his eyes, the world came into focus around him. Somehow sharper and more clear than before.

“Rise and join us, ̇/ᒷリ𝙹ᓭ !”

New power ran through him, /ᒷリ𝙹ᓭ. That was his name. Something that no one could take away from him. For a long time he had a slight nagging sensation at the back of his mind, like there was something he was forgetting. Now, it was finally gone.

—-------

Evil Xisuma PoV

Being admin was hard work, honestly, they weren’t sure how their brother stayed sane with all of the players constantly asking for help, and the code constantly needing to be fixed and patched. They were glad that they got to hang out with Zedaph, but Ex was so stressed out all the time! They shivered, a shudder running through their body. Something had changed, something was different now, and Ex wasn’t sure he liked it.

Chapter Text

Evil Xisuma PoV

“So, let me get this straight, you want to attempt a suicidal rescue mission for someone who specifically asked not to be rescued?”

Scar and Grian shared a look, then nodded in unison.

“Sure ok.”

The two just stood there and blinked at Ex.

“Close your mouths, you look like a fish.”

“Wait, did you say yes?!?!?!”

Grian’s expression was priceless and Ex couldn’t hold in their laughter. The avian glared at them, wings bristling in agitation. Ex calmed themselves slightly before continuing.

“I happen to think that my brother is quite the self-sacrificial idiot, and could use a little more saving sometimes. If you want my help bringing him back, then sure, I would be happy to. We will need a plan though.”

“I-ok?”

Ex leaned forwards.

“So, Do you have a plan?”

Grian shuffled nervously, but it was Scar who answered.

“Not exactly, but Grian thinks he can open a portal to the watcher’s domain.”

“I also know my way around pretty well, I think I know where they might be keeping him.”

They nodded, Ex already knew Grian was a watcher, they assumed that the two needed Ex’s help because of their strong connection to their brother.

“Ok then, it would be best if we left sooner rather than later, I felt something shift in the universe, and I don’t think that it's a good thing. X’s imprisonment might have something to do with it.”

Grian fidgeted with one of his feathers.

“Should we take anyone else?”

Ex thought for a moment, they couldn’t risk any of the other players, but it would be good to have back up.

“We can let some of them know we are leaving and have them as back up.”

The two players nodded in agreement.

“Ok, I’ll let Pearl, Iskall, Cleo, and False know, and ask them to guard the server while we are gone.”

“Sounds good.”

Scar grinned.

“Let’s go get our admin back!”

—-----------

Pearl Pov

This was most definitely not how Pearl had expected her day to go. Not that she was complaining, this was a lot more interesting than what she had planned. There was however, one small problem that she had with her dear brother’s plan.

“I’m not staying behind.”

“But-”

“No.”

Grian sighed, shoulders slumping.

“I should have known you wouldn’t want to stay.”

“You really should have! I don’t think any of the other hermits that you are asking will want to be back up either.”

“I’m not getting out of this am I?”

Pearl beamed at him.

“Nope!”

His eyes darted back and forth, as if trying to think of an excuse.

“Fine, but you’re explaining this to Scar and Ex.”

“Alright~ lead the way!~”

Grian spread his wings, muttering to himself as he took off, Pearl following close behind. They set down near Grian’s base. Ex, Scar, False, Iskall, and Cleo were all waiting for them.

“I assume Pearl wants to come as well?”

“Yup.”

Ex sighed.

“How am I supposed to keep you all safe when you are so determined to get yourselves killed!”

False shrugged.

“If you didn’t want us to come then you shouldn’t have told us.”

Scar put a hand on Ex’s shoulder.

“If they aren’t going to stay behind, it might be good to have more people to assist in combat.”

“I guess, but if any of you get hurt or die, I will find your dead spirit and let my brother give you a stern talking to.”

Pearl gave a mock salute.

“Eye-eye captain!”

“Alright, Grian, can you open the portal?”

“Okay, is everybody ready?”

The others nodded.

Are you ready? You’re returning to the watcher’s domain. No one can help y-

Stop.

Stop it.

You. Are. Fine.

“Pearl?”

Pearl took a deep breath.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Grian’s hands began to glow purple, he traced the outline of a portal in the air, a shimmering violet trail followed the path. A bright flash blinded her and when it died down, a swirling purple portal not unlike a nether portal stood there. Grian drew his wings in tight before stepping through, the others followed. Cleo took Pearl’s hand and they walked in together.

—---------

Scar PoV

Scar had to admit, despite how evil the watchers were, they did know how to build a city. Built almost entirely from quartz, the arching architecture was as beautiful as it was intimidating. Grian shuddered next to him, and he saw Cleo giving Pearl a hug. Scar took Grian’s hand in his own, squeezing it gently. The avian flashed him a grateful smile, leaning closer to him. Iskall shifted slightly beside them.

“So, um, where do we go now?”

Grian cleared his throat.

“Right, Ex, can you feel anything?”

“Yeah, it's faint but I can sense him. He seems to be in the heart of the city.”

Grian muttered something that sounded like “of course” under his breath.

“Alright, we’ll need to be very careful so try to be quiet. Please?”

Scar chuckled.

“Of course Grian!

I’m the stealthiest person on the server!”

Even though Scar had his friends beside him, he couldn’t help the spike of fear he felt as they began to move into the watcher’s nest.

Chapter Text

Xenos PoV

Xenos was happy. Or, at least, Xanthar was happy, and that by extension meant Xenos should be happy. He didn’t actually feel anything except a faint buzzing at the back of his mind.

“I’m so proud of you, my voidling!”

Xanthar pulled Xenos into an embrace, running their fingers through his feathers. Xenos shivered slightly, leaning into the touch. They buried their face in his hair, moving to murmur in his ear.

“If you’re lucky, you may get your first assignment soon.”

Xenos nodded slightly, thoughts growing fuzzy from the prolonged contact. Xanthar drew away, the places where they touched burning slightly. Xanthar suddenly stiffened, wings puffing up.

“Head back to your room, I’ll come and get you soon.”

The other watcher placed a gentle kiss on Xenos’ forehead before rushing down the hallway.

Where is my room?

He did not know where to go, so he simply headed to his home cell. Xenos felt a slight tugging sensation in his chest. He tried to push it down and ignore it, walking slightly faster.

It’s probably nothing, just do what you were told.

∷ᒷᒲemʖer

I-I can’t…

The sound of buzzing rose up in his mind, blocking out all other thoughts. He shook himself and continued on his way, now almost running. Whatever was going on, Xenos was sure it had nothing to do with him…

(Hehehe yeah right)

—-----------

Ex PoV

This is going to go horribly wrong and we’re all going to die.

Stop it brain. Focus on rescuing your idiot brother.

They were attempting to sneak through the hallways, which was made considerably more difficult by the size of their group, and the fact that most of the hermits were not very stealthy. After Scar almost tripped an alarm for the seventh time (Seriously, who almost trips an alarm SEVEN TIMES), Grian proposed that they take the vents. Ex glared at him.

“If the vents were an option this entire time, why haven’t we been using them since the beginning!”

“I didn’t remember them!”

There was no point in arguing, so Ex dropped it with a huff. To Grian’s credit, the vents worked perfectly. There was nothing to knock over and for the most part they were single file. Ex was in the front, following the tug that they knew would lead to their brother. A feeling of dread was building in their stomach that they couldn’t quite explain.

It’s going to be fine.

Ex stopped, sensing their brother right below them.

“Here.”

Grian squeezed past him to open the vent, dropping through the opening into the room below. Ex went through next and the rest of the hermits followed. Grian stood frozen, shaking slightly. Ex walked up beside him, sucking in a sharp breath, the room in front of them was covered in blood. It splattered the walls, ceiling, floor, and bars. In one corner of the room- no, cell, was a pile of blankets, also stained with blood. Someone was sitting atop the blankets, knees pulled up tight to their chest.

“Xisuma?”

The figure didn’t respond. Cleo glanced at Ex.

“Are we sure this is him?”

Ex could feel the tugging.

“Yes.”

Grian’s breathing was fast and panicked.

“W-we were too late. Nononononononono.”

Scar took his hand.

“Deep breaths.”

False turned to Pearl.

“What does he mean ‘we were too late?’”

“They gave him a mask.”

“What?”

“Right now, it doesn't matter, we just need to get him out of here.”

Pearl carefully stepped towards X, kneeling gently before him.

He finally looked up, noticing the other people in the cell. Ex saw the mask Pearl was talking about. It was a light silvery white with a purple symbol that looked like a stylized eye. It looked so wrong on their brother’s face. Ex also noticed faint scarring peaking out above the collar of his shirt.

Pearl slowly moved to lift X, and Ex’s heart hurt when their brother flinched away from the touch.

What did they do to you?

Pearl stood, now carrying the admin bridal style. She turned towards Ex.

“Do you want to carry him?”

“Y-yeah.”

Pearl carefully moved X into their arms.

Void, he’s so light.

That was when Ex saw his wings.

He’s never had feathered wings, let alone two pairs.

They didn’t even want to think about what that might have meant. A noise came from behind them.

“Let. Him. Go.”

The hermits whirled around. Standing in the doorway, was a watcher. They had snowy white wings and long black hair tied back in a braid, a netherite sword gleamed in their hand.

“Leave us alone, we are just here for our friend!”

The watcher seemed startled by Iskall’s outburst.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you take him. As much as I hate to admit it, I have grown rather fond of your supposed friend.”

False drew her own sword.

“And how are you going to stop us?”

A wicked smile split the watcher’s face.

“Xenos, come here.”

To Ex’s horror, their brother began to try and escape their arms. With surprising strength, he broke free from Ex’s hold and began to struggle his way towards the watcher. Cleo tackled him from behind, using just enough force to send him sprawling on the ground but not enough to actually hurt the admin. Ex saw Grian was practically shaking with anger.

“You.”

The smug expression finally dropped from the watcher’s face, replaced with something akin to terror.

“You will pay for what you did to him.”

The watcher took a nervous step back, shooting one last glance at X before turning and running. Grian had just begun to follow, when Scar caught his arm.

“Wait. Where are you going?”

“Go. Pearl can get you back to hermitcraft. I will catch up, I have something to do first.”

Pearl moved closer, looking her brother in the eyes.

“Don’t kill any of them. I know you want to, but that would just draw more of their attention to hermitcraft. You can come back to kill them later.”

Grian took several deep breaths, his expression calming slightly.

“Ok. I’ll wait.”

Cleo was now holding an unconscious X, she handed the admin back to his sibling.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I think now is a good time to leave.”

Grian nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, okay.”

He held out his hand and Pearl took it. Violet magic swirled around their clasped hands. A blinding light overtook Ex’s vision.

“Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

<1>Xenos PoV

Where am I?

Xenos became aware of several people in front of him, they were whispering nervously with each other. He was on something soft and strangely comfortable, which was odd, because Xanthar had specifically forbidden him from sleeping on anything other than the blankets he was provided with.

Is this a test?

Xenos fully opened his eyes, moving to get off the bed. The room fell silent.

“X, you need rest.”

The voice was unfamiliar, that in itself was not strange, Xenos had not met all of the watchers yet. It was the fact that they didn’t refer to him as Xenos or voidwalker. They also didn’t sound quite like a watcher, the cadence of their speech was different, and there wasn’t that strange buzzing, like whenever Xanthar spoke. He took this opportunity to get a good look at his… captors? Handlers?

Friends?

He felt panic rising in his chest.

These are not watchers. You are not supposed to be here. Gobackgobackgobackgobackgoback!

His head hurt. The others in the room had an unfamiliar expression on their faces.

Concern?

You did something wrong, this is your punishment.

He was hyperventilating, anxiety spiking. A hand was on his back, it didn’t seem like the person was trying to hurt him, but he flinched away from it nonetheless. Someone nearby let out a sad noise.

What did I do wrong? Was I not supposed to do that?

“S-sorry.”

His voice was quiet and rushed between breaths. A gasp came from the person sitting beside him.

“No, X… you have nothing to be sorry for…”

The person’s voice broke.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll be better!”

The room was silent again.

“X, I’m going to touch you, you can move if it makes you uncomfortable.”

The hand came again, rubbing slow circles on his back. He stiffened, before relaxing into the touch. He tried to match their slow breathing.

“That's it X, you’re doing so good.”

His eyes were getting heavy again.

Nonononononono…

“Shh… You’re safe here.”

As he finally drifted off, he heard concerned whispers from the others in the room.

You are never safe.

—--------

Grian PoV

Grian’s heart ached at the condition of their admin. Ex had a devastated look on their face as they rubbed circles on X’s back. Xisuma had begun panicking as soon as he woke up, and had flinched away from everyone except his sibling. Scar finally spoke.

“What do we do? It’s not as if the watchers are just going to leave us alone. And we have no idea what they did to him.”

Ex sighed.

“His wings. Those aren’t his wings. We are both voidwalkers, our wings should resemble a dragon’s, and there shouldn’t be two pairs.”

Everyone fell silent, realizing what that meant. False growled.

“Right, I’m going to kill them.”

Determination settled in Grian’s stomach.

“We have to wait. But don’t worry, when they are destroyed, I will make sure that it is painful.”

He was aware that his eyes were glowing, and that it was probably scaring his friends, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Pearl hesitantly spoke up.

“We will have to tell the other hermits. They will probably be wondering how X is back on the server.”

Scar nodded.

“I can send out a request for a meeting.”

Pearl gave him a thankful look.

“Grian, do you want to come with me?”

Grian considered for a moment, regarding Scar.

“Okay.”

The other man grabbed his hand, leading him out of the base. Once they were outside, Scar turned to him, a concerned expression on his face.

“G, how are you doing? I know this is a lot, but none of this is your fault.”

Grian took a shuddering breath.

“I-I… I’m not doing great, but for right now, the best thing to do is push through it.”

Scar gave him a gentle smile.

“Okay, but if you want to talk… I’m here.”

I love this man so much.

Grian turned his face away so that Scar couldn’t see his faint blush.

“Thank you.”

He squared his shoulders.

“Okay, let’s get this meeting organized.”

—--------

Ex PoV

Ex was about five minutes away from breaking down crying. Or murdering the watchers. One of the two. The others chattered in the background, occasionally sending them concerned looks. They knew that Grian and Scar had left to do something, but the world seemed dull.

My brother. They hurt him.

Even looking at the monstrosities that the watcher’s had replaced his beautiful wings with, brought tears to his eyes. Xisuma had fallen asleep a while ago, and was collapsed against Ex’s chest, shifting slightly with his dreams. It took them a while to realize that Pearl was trying to talk to them.

“Hmmm?”

Pearl hesitated, beginning again.

“I was asking if you wanted someone to stay here with you or if you wanted to be alone with him.”

They thought for a moment.

“I… I think I might like some time alone with him.”

Pearl smiled kindly.

“Okay, I’ll get everyone to leave you be.”

Ex’s shoulders sagged in relief once everyone had left. They began to rub their brother’s back again.

I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you. I won’t let it happen again.

Chapter Text

Hi! Sorry no update yet, I actually had a question, so I am planning on writing a secret life superhero fic (Yes, I know, I should focus on my other fics first. Secret life has just really hooked my attention right now) and I need some help figuring out hero names and powers, so if you have any ideas, please leave a comment! I would really appreciate it! Thank you, I promise I’ll try to update soon, and I apologize for not updating for so long. I hope you have a great day/night, and lots of love to you all!

Chapter Text

Mumbo Pov

Mumbo was fixing his vault door, when his comm dinged, the message was from Grian, asking for everyone to meet at the Shopping district.

What could that be for?

He put his materials away in a nearby shulker box, something telling him that he probably wouldn’t be getting back to his build any time soon. Strapping on his elytra, he fired his rockets and took off towards the Shopping district.

His mind buzzed with questions as the wind whipped past his face, wondering about what could have prompted Grian to call an emergency meeting, and about why he and a few other hermits had been missing from the server.

Could it be about X?

No. X was gone. If Mumbo was to dwell on these thoughts for too long, he would break down, and that wasn’t what he needed right now. His musings came to an abrupt end as the colorful buildings of HermitCraft’s shopping district came into view; structures of various shapes and sizes, scattered across the area and providing a vibrant contrast to the plain earth.

Mumbo came in for a graceful landing, elytra folding neatly behind him. The first thing that he noticed was that Grian seemed more agitated than usual. The avian had been a bit listless ever since their admin was taken, but now he seemed almost angry.

“Grian? I’m here for the meeting.”

Grian’s head snapped up, his eyes were glowing faintly purple and held a deep, burning rage within them. Mumbo couldn’t help taking a step back, breath stuttering in fear. Scar, –who must have been there the entire time– placed a hand on Grian’s shoulder, giving him a stern but caring look.

The avian slumped, all the energy leaving him in a burst and he turned an apologetic gaze towards Mumbo, who at this point, was more confused than scared.

“Is everything okay?” He inquired.

Grian opened his mouth, then closed it, gaze flicking to Scar, asking the man to speak for him. Scar smiled, but it was slightly strained.

“I’d rather not have to explain everything twice, so we’ll have to wait until a few more hermits get here,” noticing Mumbo’s crestfallen expression, he quickly continued,” –But, I can tell you that it’s about X.”

Mumbo froze, blood turning to ice as the words echoed in his head.

It’s about X.

He didn’t miss the way that Grian and Scar exchanged a glance at his sudden silence, but he chose not to react, instead moving to sit on one of the rocks outside of Grian’s entity shop.

He didn’t notice the other hermits arriving, only snapping out of his daze when Scar clapped his hands to begin the meeting.

“So,” Scar began, “many of you know that a while ago I was taken by the watchers.”

Murmurs of assent spread through the crowd of hermits.

Scar paused for a minute before continuing, “And while most of you might not know all of the details, I think most know that our admin, Xisuma, gave himself up in my place.” At these words, Mumbo noticed a flicker of guilt on the terraformer’s face, fast enough that anyone who hadn’t known the man for a long time might have missed it.

Scar’s voice wobbled slightly when he spoke again, though he seemed to be trying valiantly to keep his voice steady.

“Well, we went to Ex–who was given admin commands by X when he left– and told him that we wanted to stage a rescue mission to the watcher’s domain. They said yes, to our surprise and offered to go with us. We thought that it would be a good idea to let some other hermits know where we would be going just in case we needed back up, but they all decided that they wanted to come with us despite the dangers–” Chuckling rippled through the crowd, “--So our group ended up a lot larger than we originally anticipated, but we managed to get into the watcher’s domain pretty easily thanks to Grian and Pearl, and to make a long story short, we found X.”

Any excitement that Mumbo might have felt at those words died quickly at Grian’s pained expression and Scar’s barely masked anger.

“He wasn’t doing well, he had scars all over his body and didn’t recognize us when we tried to move him, and–” Scar’s voice stuttered to a stop, and Grian moved to take his place, Scar gave him a concerned look, but the avian seemed to brush it off.

“Ex said that his wings were different now as well,” Grian’s voice shook and Mumbo could tell that it hurt his friend to be talking about this, “ The watcher’s did something to his memories, and he doesn't seem to remember any of us, maybe Ex, but that might just be because they have a weird connection to each other.”

He took a deep breath to steady himself, “ X is safe for right now, but we don’t know how long we can keep the watchers out of the server. If anyone has any ideas for defenses or anything that could help X get his memories back, we could all use help.”

Scar led Grian off of the stage as whispers began to spread through their audience. Mumbo rushed to meet his two friends, concern and worry etched onto his face.

“Are you two going to be okay?”

Scar looked a bit surprised, “ I’d have thought that you would be interrogating us to find out where X is.”

“You guys are my fa- friends too.” He had to stop himself before he called them his family, now was not the time to be unpacking his relationships.

“We’ll be okay,” Grian offered him a weary smile as he said this, “ I don’t know about Ex though, they’re super concerned about Xisuma.”

Scar cracked a smile as well, “who knows, with how angry they seemed, they might murder the watchers before you can, G.”

Mumbo laughed, glad to see his friends in a better mood. Things were tough, but he was sure the Hermits could get through it.