The Watcher-Prime

Chapter 15

"Grian!? Grian!?" A voice called Grian from the darkness. A voice that shouldn't have been real... was he dead? There was no way... but he couldn't die yet. "Grian! Grian?"

Grian's eyes finally opened. Gem exhaled in relief and hugged her friend tightly.

"Gem?" Grian's fragile voice coughed.

"Grian! You're awake!" Tears came to Gem's eyes.

"Where are we?" Grian managed to ask. He was laying on a white cot in a dome-shaped wooden structure... was he in a tree? Several potions lay beside him, some full and others completely emptied.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is what on earth happened to you and... how you're going to explain last night." False placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh." Grian realized he was still taller. His wings were folded behind his back. Last night had really happened. Grian's secret was out. After so many years of careful...

"Uh... Grian, have you noticed that your eyes are purple?" Gem frowned. Ah, there it was.

"We have a lot to catch up on, hermits."

"Yes. A lot indeed." Xisuma walked into the room, his arms folded.

Grian sighed angrily and managed to pull himself into a sitting position. He could feel a cast on his leg, but with a simple flick of his finger Grian's leg was completely restored. Gem gasped as she watched the cast fall to the ground and Grian's leg magically restore itself.

"Everyone who wants to hear my explanation can stay. I'm not explaining myself twice." Grian ordered in reluctance. He supposed he could mind muddle all of them to forget... but somehow Grian couldn't. He had vowed never to mess with anybody's minds, and Grian intended to keep that vow to his death.

When Xisuma had joined the small assembly, Grian began his tale.

"You know me as Grian. The watchers know me as Sunan. And my family... the admins... they both know me as Xelqua." Grian started. Xisuma interrupted.

"Whoah... how do the watchers tie into any of this?" Xisuma asked. Grian waved his hand and muted Xisuma for the time being.

"I suppose now that you know I'm the mystery prime I should start from the beginning." Grian scowled. "I was born in Evo. Mumbo was my neighbor. I lived there until I was twelve. That's when the watchers came. They murdered my parents and erased my memory." Grian paused. His past was still painful to talk about.

"I trained to be a watcher for four or five years. I was the head watcher's apprentice. I was incredibly powerful even as a watcher. I made a couple of friends there. They weren't selected to go to the battle where I met Prime 1." Grian fidgeted with the golden ring under his tunic.

"When the head watcher announced we were going to attack the admins directly, I was the first to volunteer. I placed myself on the front lines, and I took out countless admins." Grian pressed his eyes shut and forced himself to go on.

"That's when she came. She swooped down and challenged me to a duel. I was terrified, but I didn't let it show. And then suddenly she immobilized me and took out my entire army. I got thrown into the dungeons, and I was weaker than I had ever been in my life. I thought I would be there forever, but for some reason, the prime came back." Grian still wondered why she had taken such a special interest in him.

"She gave me back my memories, and before I knew it I was her apprentice. I trained for six years before she died and I became the prime. I had just taken on the responsibility when I met Mumbo again after so many years," Grian turned towards Xisuma with a warm, sad smile.