Never Really Gone

Chapter 40

Grian's POV

I scream, lashing out and trying to escape the grip of the stranger. I can feel their magic, not as strong as mine, but enough to put up a fair fight.

"Grian!" They yell

"LET GO OF ME!"

"Grian it's me!"

The stranger pulls their helmet off, and I realise they aren't a stranger at all. His purple eyes are just how I remember them, and his dark brown hair is messier and longer. The same X scar is above his nose. Despite being much older, it's definitely him.

"Xisuma?" I whisper, voice trembling with tears

"Yeah... it's me"

I don't hesitate to hug him, tears of both joy and painful loss flowing freely down my cheeks.

"I can't believe it... I thought you were dead..." He whispers "What happened?"

"Th-they found me... The Watchers came and... and killed all my friends"

"Oh... oh no... Grian I'm so sorry"

"It's not your fault..." I admit. "At least I have you now"

"Grian?"

A soft, kind voice I thought I'd never hear again whispers my name. Looking up, I see a man who looks quite different from the teenager I remember. It's still him though, and I don't hesitate to embrace him either.

"Oh my gosh... Joe I thought I'd never see you again!"

"How are you here though?! We thought you died!"

"They found him and destroyed his server" Xisuma sighs

"Oh... oh no... Grian are you ok?"

"I don't know... where's Ezra?"

The question, as innocent as it sounds, sends the others into silence.

"He is here... right?"

Xisuma bites his lip, trying to hold back tears.

"There's something we need to tell you"

I feel a sinking feeling in my stomach. Ezra isn't... he isn't dead, is he?

"When we went through the portal, it was just Joe and I. We met a man named Generik, who helped us search the whole server for you guys. When we couldn't find you, we could only hope you were together.

Ezra eventually found his way here about 3 years ago, but he was a completely different person. He seemed to hate me, and wanted to kill me and destroy this server. He didn't remember who you were, and kept saying we left him to die. I panicked about a year ago, when I found out it was him... and I banned him."

My heart feels like it's being smashed and beaten to pieces. That can't be true... he isn't like that.

"No... there's no way Ezra would do that! He'd never hurt you!" I protest.

"Grian, it was him, trust me. Joe and I think he might be under the influence of some kind of magic." Xisuma argues

"But why did you ban him?! Now we'll never get him back!"

"I did it in panic ok?! Do you think I wanted to ban my own brother?!"

Joe thankfully steps in

"Hey, hey hey! Grian, could you maybe understand that he regrets what he did? And Xisuma, can you consider how distressed Grian probably is right now?"

"Ok... I'm sorry Gri, I probably should have been more aware that you've just gone thorough a lot"

"It's ok... I should've been more sensitive on the topic anyway"

"Ok" Joe sighs "Now let's try and figure out what to do now"

"I should probably explain where you are... Grian, this is Hermitcraft. We're currently in Season 5, our fifth world. We'll be moving to a new world soon, in about 4 days. If you want you can stay here, you can officially join at the start of Season 6."

"But what about my other friends?! What if someone's still alive and-"

"Grian... I saw the world get destroyed. I don't think there's anyone left"

If I was sad before, I'm heartbroken now. Maui and Pearl cuddle against me, offering some kind of comfort. Joe and Xisuma hug me too, and I let myself cry harder then I have in years.

It was only 10 minutes ago that I held a dying Taurtis, and only 15 minutes ago that I had been happy, sitting beside my friend as the sun went down over Evo.

It's amazing how quickly things can go wrong, especially when you're me.

I realise this is the best things are gonna get for quite some time, being hugged by my two closest friends like this. Nobody can ever replace the Evolutionists, but maybe I can have a fresh start here.

"Xisuma?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I wanna stay"