The Temptation of Power ||| Hermitcraft Watcher AU

Chapter Nine

<Xisuma> Grian, come to my base tomorrow morning please.

That didn't sound promising, he (Xelqua... Grian... he wasn't sure anymore) thought as he flew.

Through a small amount of experimenting throughout the night, he'd found out he didn't need his jumper, mask or cloak to be warm anymore, but he kept wearing the black sweater anyway since the red one didn't feel like his anymore.

Flying with an elytra felt strange after so long with only wings, and he wouldn't like to admit that he kept wobbling and losing his balance in the sky. Wings and elytra, although having the same purpose and basic design, were very different, and switching between the two semi regularly was starting to have a effect on his flying ability. As soon as he got used to wings, he had to use elytra, and vice versa.

Despite that fact though, he still managed to get from the island to the continent abnormally fast. Somehow, it only took about five or ten minutes.

He landed on the grass outside and saw the axolotl-dressed admin waiting by his door. He tried to clear his mind, or at least comfort himself. He had magic, so he could defend himself if needed. There was no point lying to himself; this was probably about the Watchers, so he needed to be prepared for anything.

"Hey Grian." Xisuma said, his voice cheery but untrustworthy.

"Hi." He replied, walking towards the door where the admin was stood.

"Come in." X said, opening the door for him. They both went inside and he was lead to the meeting room. Xelqua halted at the door; sat around the table were Pearl, Mumbo, False and Iskall. False and Iskall were in full netherite. Xisuma sat down. "Don't worry about them," he said, awkwardness clear in his voice. Xelqua decided to ignore their presence and sat down on the nearest free seat, which was between Pearl and Mumbo. The meeting had obviously been planned and it was clear they wanted him to sit there, so he did.

He looked at X expectantly.

"Uhm," he said, glancing at Pearl. "Pearl and Mumbo have said you've been acting secretive recently."

Xelqua let his face remain neutral.

"Grian, I told you I know you've had past experiences with the Watchers, and now they're back and you started acting different, and I found the portal when looking for you..." Pearl started, facing him. "And... if whatever's going on is something to do with the Watchers, you can tell us."

But he couldn't. Weirdly, he wanted to chuckle, but he held it back.

She sighed. "We can help you, we can fight them." Xelqua glanced around at everyone.

"You can't fight them." He muttered, slightly amused by the idea.

"Of course we can!" False said.

"No, they could kill you before you even reach for your sword. Or better yet, before you even think to reach for your sword, before you even realise they're there." He said, a small smile creeping onto his face. Watchers, those powerful, feared, almighty gods? He was one of them.

The table went silent for a solid minute.

"Grian, that's not a reason to give up..." Mumbo eventually said.

"I agree." Iskall said. False and Pearl hummed in agreement as well.

"I'm not giving up." Xelqua said.

"But, you just said..." Mumbo started, but trailed off.

I'm not the one in danger. He almost said it out loud. He was forgetting that they thought he was Grian. He was forgetting they hated Watchers. He was forgetting that he didn't want them knowing. He was forgetting that these people were (supposedly) his friends.