Never Really Gone

Chapter 71

False's POV

I silently walk beside Xisuma and Joe, leading the way to the grave I usually find Cleo sulking around at. Joe gets more and more quiet as we venture further past rows, keeping his eyes on the ground the whole time.

"Are you ok Joe?" I ask, stopping for a moment.

"I... um... just don't like being here." He mumbles

"We won't be much longer." Xisuma promises, before spotting a familiar head of red hair. "I think that's her over there."

"Go away X." The person says bitterly as he heads over.

"Yeah, that's Cleo." Joe whispers beside me.

"Are you ok?" Xisuma asks

Cleo turns around, seeming very upset as tears of anger and frustration stream down her cheeks.

"Well what do you think?!" She snaps, before stopping when she sees me.

"False?"

"Hi Cl-"

I'm cut off by my friend throwing her arms around me, giving me the first hug I've received in almost a year. I hesitantly return the embrace, before slowly relaxing and letting her hug me.

"I... I thought they'd ban you or something!"

"Trust me." Xisuma mumbles uncomfortably. "I have no intentions of banning ANYONE after what happened to Ezra."

"Yeah, don't worry." I assure Cleo, not actually knowing who Ezra is. "I'm ok for now, even if I might not be later."

"What does that mean?" Joe asks

"... well I'm assuming some kind of terrible punishment awaits me now."

All eyes turn to X, who stays quiet, clearly deep in thought.

"Can I ask you a question, False?" Joe asks

"Sure?"

"Did you have a choice over what you did?"

Nobody speaks for a moment, until I hesitantly shake my head.

"Did you want to do it?"

"It's confusing, because they used to manipulate me. They sometimes made me think I wanted to kill you."

"And did you?"

"Of course not!" I respond in a heartbeat. "Even if you don't feel the same anymore, I still consider you my friends, and I would never kill any of you willingly."

This makes Xisuma think for a moment, and he frowns slightly.

"That's exactly what happened to Ezra isn't it?" Joe points out

"Yes... but that's different!" The Admin tells him

"In what way?"

"Well... well Ezra's my brother!"

"False is your friend."

"Can I please ask who Ezra is?" I ask

"Not now False." Xisuma snaps, rolling his eyes and making it clear that he doesn't want to bother with me right now.

"Ezra is Evil X's actual name." Cleo whispers to me "He and X are twins."

That comes as a bit of a surprise to me, not as much as you'd expect though. I'd known Xisuma had a brother, the two had been in the year above me in the Watcher's training facility. At the time, I mostly just knew them and Joe as the roommates of Xelqua, the boy who had gold magic.

What I hadn't known was that Ezra, or Zenith, as I had known him, was Evil X.

"Ezra hurt more people than False indirectly did." Joe argues "And about a dozen Hermits left after he started hurting people. Technically, what your brother did was worse than what she did, yet you refuse to forgive her."

"He's my twin-"

"SHE'S MY FRIEND!"

I've never seen Joe lose his temper. Ever. So when he snaps like that, you know you've pushed it too far. Thankfully, Xisuma gets the message pretty damn quick, and falls silent.

"You have a point." He admits, unable to look any of us in the eye.

"Yes, I know I do. Now let's just get out of here and back to Hermitcraft already."

The argument seems to have really put Joe off. Xisuma clearly upset him, and I can't help but feel like it's my fault. Ugh, what am I talking about, of course it's my fault!

I'm about to spiral down a path of guilt and anger at myself, when I feel Cleo's hand slip into mine.

"It's not your fault." She tells me, as if she could hear my thoughts. "Joe and X are both incredibly protective in their own ways, and sometimes that doesn't mix well."

Then she smiles.

"We're gonna sort things out, ok? I promise."

Hels's POV

I stare at Wels, slowly remembering more and more about him. He looks upset, almost hurt, but he sighs, taking a seat beside us.

"I want to apologise for what happened a few weeks ago... even if you can't remember me, I-"

"I do remember you!" I interrupted, before going a little red. "Well... kind of. You're my brother, right? Wels!"

"Twin brother, yeah." He admits, smiling a little. "But... I thought you died."

"He did." Vali confirms. "Which is probably why he doesn't remember anything... I resurrected him."

"How did I die?" I ask, but Wels doesn't respond. He looks sad, even guilty. I frown a little. "...It was because of you... wasn't it?"

"I didn't mean for you to fall..." He mumbles. "I would never have fought with you if I knew it was going to happen, I'm so sorry."

I simply smile, which he clearly doesn't expect.

"Well... I don't see why I should be mad at you then. I've forgotten why I even fought with you in the first place. So... maybe I can forgive you."

Wels's eyes widen in surprise, but he nods.

"Ok... I... I didn't expect that."

He also doesn't expect me to hug him.

"I'm just happy that I found someone who knew me before I died... even if I don't remember you that well." I admit. "Maybe you can tell me about everything that happened before I died!"

"Ok." Wels agrees, smiling back. "But only if you tell me what happened after that. So uh... where do I start?"

"My name, maybe?" I suggest. "I don't actually remember that either. I've just been calling myself "Hels" for... who knows how long."

"Alright... your name is Emmett, and you're 29." He begins.

"Emmett..." I repeat, the name sounding familiar. "Oh yeah! I do remember that, now that I think about it!"

Vali smiles, watching the two of us talk and go over all the things I've forgotten. It's nice, finally knowing all of this, and it's nice knowing that Wels still cares about me.

And for the first time in years, I don't feel scared.