Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a normal meeting. Well, as normal as meetings could be. Grian and Pearl were acting stranger than usual. It was the same time of the year Grian normally acted up, but since Pearl joined a year or so ago, Grian had isolated himself from everyone other than her. Xisuma knew they had past relations; it was in their code that they were on the same unnamed server around the same time. But, it was once again the time of the year when they acted abnormally, and they needed to hold an important meeting.

All the Hermits were there, sitting around the large table in their own customised seats, some engaged in lively conversation. Xisuma let out a light sigh, clearing his throat to silence the ensemble on Hermits to begin the meeting.

"Hermits! As you all know, it's almost time to jump to the next update. And we all need to catch up on progress before we decide on whether we move or stay for this one." He began, before pausing and letting the other members contribute to the meeting.

"Well, I do believe our bases are coming along nicely. Scarland is really fleshing out to be a wonderful sight." Scar said, followed by Cub and Cleo explaining the progress and potential their museums have.

"If we stay, we will have a lot more time to properly build up and finish our bases." Gem said, turning to Impulse and Pearl, the latter having shrunk back in her night-sky style chair at the mention of her.

"Um... yeah." The moth-hybrid mumbled under her breath. Below the table, Grian took hold of her hand and squeezed it tight, as Impulse agreed to Gem as well.

"I also need to finish Decked Out," Tango said, fiery hair flickering as he thought about his plans. "And that will take a while longer."

"So, I'm guessing it's decided," Xisuma said, looking around the Hermits. "We are staying for the next update."

As all the Hermits began to agree, the admin disappeared in front of them. A couple stood up in shock before they too vanished in succession.

"Where-!" Grian gasped, looking at the slightly more empty table. "Where did they go?!" He stood up, his feather-covered chair scraping on the ground before he looked around the table.

He rushed to where Xisuma had been standing and saw runic symbols. In the centre of the circle was a familiar sign. "Crap."

"What?" Pearl asked, standing up and fluttering over to him.

"It's Evo." He muttered, pointing to the rectangular symbol. "They... I thought it was destroyed." His voice was hollow and quivering as his mind raced. Why did it have to happen, especially at this time of the year? This served as another cruel reminder of his last day on Evo. And Xisuma, the man who had taken him in after finding him lost and bleeding to death in the main hub, had been taken.

"But Evo was destroyed!" Pearl countered, looking around the table to where all the Hermits were sitting, fearful eyes trembling as they looked at the two who had taken initiative. "Who's missing?" Grian asked urgently, making a couple of Hermits flinch out of their frozen states.

Cub looked round the emptier table. "Um... Gem, Ren, Tango and-"

"Mumbo." Grian said with a shake in his tone. His saviour, his best friend, his supernatural buddy, his dungeon master, and his hippy friend.

"Impulse, you take everyone to your joint base and keep them inside the deepest parts where they can stay safe. Pearl, Doc, Joe, and Zed, can you stay here and help me figure out if they have really gone off-server?" The aforementioned Hermits nodded before they either left or hurried to the ex-Watcher's side.

"Doc, I need this place put on lockdown. No one can leave, strengthen the barrier. Joe, can you look around for them on the server? They aren't being listed here, but they could be set invisible. Zed, I need you to help Pearl decode the runes and see if we can figure anything else out." Grian ordered, making Pearl's focus flashback to Evo, and when Grian would make orders as their admin, keeping them safe from the Watchers.

Evo existed outside of time and space, forcing the 17-year-old admin to take immeasurable precautions to keep them safe after completing their riddles and finding the portals... until the last one. They had rushed too far ahead without preparation, and Grian paid for it.

"Okay." Pearl nodded, followed by responses from the others before they hurried onto their assigned missions. Grian nodded back before assisting all the groups. As Joe looked through each server member's eyes, his own a stark white, Doc was tinkering away at the mechanical panel on his robotic arm, and Pearl and Zed began decoding the symbols and runes. After hours and hours of work, Zed finally jumped up and rushed over to Joe and Grian.

"They're in the past." The sheep hybrid gasped for air. "The runes have a time-altering as well as teleportation spell. They aren't in our current timeline, but one from an older update." Grian looked at Zed, heart racing and slamming against his ribs so much that it felt suffocating. They really were in Evo then.

He looked at Pearl, who held her gaze as she trembled to talk.

"We... we need to get them out of there. Now."

Cold wind whisked past Xisuma's helmet, making a cracking and quite uncomfortable sound. He began slowing his breath (when had it picked up?) before looking around the small clearing. They were in a sun-filled forest, birds fluttering and leaves falling around the small huddle of unconscious pile of bodies. The admin squinted and could make out the blue flame of Tango's hair and the contrasting ginger of Gem's, the flicking of Ren's tail and the usually neat but now wrinkled suit that Mumbo normally adorned.

Xisuma heaved himself up and stumbled over to his friends, his family. They were still breathing, the slow rising and falling of their chests and the fluttering of hair caught on a breath signalling that. The admin watched as Gem sat up weakly, shoving the limp frame of Tango off her legs.

"What the..." She muttered, heading over to her admin. "Where are we?"

"No idea," Xisuma muttered, looking around at his admin panel. "I can't even get coordinates here."

Gem frowned, and closed her eyes, trying to see if she could teleport out. Small sparks flickered off of her before she slumped back down and leaned against X.

"My powers aren't working. I can't even teleport in-world." She said weakly, and Xisuma patted her on the back.

"Don't worry. If we find the admin of this world, we could probably ask them if we can leave." He said, trying to convince himself of this very flawed plan. The admin could be hostile. This could be an empty world, with no admin. They could be miles away from any civilization.

Eventually, the rest of the Hermits woke up, groggily and weakly. Ren had accidentally pounced at Xisuma, knocking the man to the ground, before the wolf hybrid realised it was his admin and apologised profusely. Mumbo had looked around very confused, before asking if they were going on a holiday. Meanwhile, Tango began setting fire to small twigs to keep them light and warm for the eventual night.

"We should head north," Ren said, sniffing the ground. His tail wagged as he looked ahead. "I smell tracks this way, from a player."

The rest nodded, finally finding a way to go. They set off down the imaginary trail, turning every so often at random intervals. As they walked, Gem kept trying to use any ounce of magic to speed up the journey, but they evidently had to walk on foot.

"The trail stops here," Ren announced as they stood in a random patch of forest. "I can't smell anything further." 

"That's odd," Mumbo remarked, looking at the tall trees. "Your scent doesn't normally stop in the middle of a trail." The moustachioed man frowned, eventually looking up, only to see a speeding blur of green fall towards them from the tree canopy.

"Who are you?!" The person shouted, raising an iron sword to Gem's throat. The deer hybrid gulped as the blade reached her, shaking in fear and not being able to teleport out of his grasp. "Why were you following me? Do you work for the Watchers?!"

X tried to pull out his own weapon, but his pockets were empty from moving worlds. "We- Watchers? No, those things have hurt many of my server members. We would never work for them."

"Please, remove the sword," Tango said, stepping forward with his hands in front of him. "We won't hurt you. We are looking for this server's admin to ask to be teleported out. We can't leave by ourselves."

"If you've been taken here, then you're trapped until the next update." The guy said, stashing his sword away and back into his inventory. "I'm this server's admin."

"What's your name? This is Gem, Tango, Mumbo, and Ren. My name is Xisuma." X stuck out his hand. The admin looked at the man who just threatened Gem and them all... he looked so young for an admin, barely out of his teenage years. The man in green frowned before walking up to the older and shaking his hand.

"Xelqua. I'm Xelqua."

Chapter Text

After the forced and awkward proper introductions, Xelqua had begun guiding the Hermits towards spawn. The green-clad man led the group of hybrids around random trees and down confusing paths that were marked with scratches on tree trunks or certain rock formations. The group walked a little further from their guide and the admin of this server, exchanging curious glances and hushed remarks among themselves.

"He looks so young to be an admin." Gem frowned at the back of Xelqua's hat. "In all my many years... I've seen very few this young. And even they are in their twenties."

"It is odd." Xisuma nodded as he consulted the mini-map on his admin panel. The map was becoming clearer as they walked down the path. He looked up to face his friends. "I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to even attend admin training until you've finished high school-"

"My high school experience was cut short," Xelqua said as he looked back at them. "I can hear you guys." He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry," Mumbo hurriedly said, still trying to fix his wrinkled suit. "We didn't mean to offend you."

"What we are trying to say is this place is strange," Tango said honestly. "I mean, Xisuma's admin panel isn't working and not even coordinates are showing. Gem can't teleport out, which she can normally do."

"The Watchers trapped this place in a void. Time and space works differently." The youngest explained. "Any powers or devices related to warping won't work. That includes hybrid and god powers other than Listeners and Watchers, and normal admin panels."

"So you're saying we're stuck until the next update, my dude?" Ren asked, his question being answered with a simple nod.

"Yup. That's right. You are all trapped here in this hell of a prison with us." Xelqua clearly tried to joke, but no laugh followed. "Look, my jokes aren't that funny, but could you at least pretend being stuck in my presence is tolerable?"

"Sure," Mumbo shrugged, walking a bit faster to catch up with the teen. "We'll stick around." He slotted a small twig in the man's hair, smiling down at the shorter. The blonde paused for a second, before cackling in laughter.

"What?" He asked with a light-hearted gasp of laughter.

"You know, stick around. It's a stick." Mumbo said flusteredly, trying to defend himself from the teen. "It's a pun!"

"I know!" Xelqua smiled at the moustached man. "It's a good pun!"

"It really isn't." Gem interrupted, inserting herself between them. "And anyways, is this the spawn you were talking about?" She pointed down the hill to a large clearing where a huddle of buildings and structures nestled in the middle.

"Yup!" Xelqua beamed, squinting down at it. "Come on, I'll introduce you guys to the others."

He led them down the hill and into the huddle of settlements. The Hermits looked up at the buildings, taking in the craftsmanship of each plank and cobbled wall. Xelqua paused in front of a wide but short building, turning to his guests.

"This is the community police station. It's not an arrest, it's just more likely got people here than any other spot. And don't worry, they might act all tough, but they don't actually mean it." He explained, pushing the door open without another word. They all went inside to see two individuals, one a 16-year-old and another in their early 20s, conversing at the front desk. The blonde teen looked younger than their guide but was taller, and the adult (the first one they'd met this entire time) looked around the same height and had a scruffy stubble beard.

"Hey guys," Xelqua said, announcing their presence to the two. They looked up and faced the shocked huddle of newcomers.

"Jimmy? Martyn?" Ren and Tango said at the same time, making the police officers frown.

"Who are these guys?" Martyn asked his admin, but the other one in the room answered.

"Hello, we're the Hermits. We seem to have crash-landed into you guys' world," X answered. "Xelqua here has agreed to give us shelter until we can leave."

"How do you guys know us? I've never met you guys in my life." Jimmy asked with the subtle flap of his golden wings.

"We played in the life games together, dudes," Ren said. "Remember? I was King Ren and you were my advertisement adviser."

"Um... no, sorry." Martyn shook his head.

"And we were the ranchers during Double Life." Tango said, his flame flickering low as Jimmy frowned in confusion.

"Sorry... I don't think we've ever been in any 'life games' before." Jimmy said quietly, seeing Tango's sad reaction to him not remembering.

"Didn't you say this place exists out of time?" Gem asked Xelqua, who nodded back to the wizard. "Then maybe this is the past. I've met you guys before as well, and you were a lot older."

"That makes sense," Xisuma agreed. "That must be why I haven't seen as many newer blocks as we walked here. You aren't in that update yet." After he said it, the three men who lived in this world fell silent, frowning in different directions. "Did I say something wrong?" X asked.

"Unless absolutely necessary, we don't just just throw-away talk about updates." Jimmy said, voice slightly saddened.

"Why-?" Mumbo began before being cut off.

"Because the stupid Watchers have trapped us in this hell of a prison for their entertainment, forcing us back in time to await the next update to even live." Martyn cut in. His voice was steady but it sounded cold and like there was a concealed shout behind his words. "And just casually talking about them is kind of like taboo."

"Taboo?"

"Normally the updates take longer to come after someone just casually mentions them. Like if we get too hopeful the premise of being able to finally sleep away the night gets stripped away and held further above our heads and out of reach." With those words, the Hermits fell silent. Did they prolong their escape even further with their ignorance?

"I'm back!" A girl called, waltzing into the room before pausing at the considerably larger-than-expected crowd. "Um..." She bit the inside of her cheek, her gaze shifting uncertainly as she sought clarification from her admin. "Who...?"

"These are the Hermits. They are trapped here for a bit."

"Oh okay. I'm Pearl." She introduced herself, shaking Gem's hand. "Nice to meet you guys."

"Hi. I'm Gem, and this is Xisuma, Mumbo, Ren, and Tango." The deer smiled at the younger version of her best friend. This is going to be interesting, for certain.

"Xelqua, are there any more people we have yet to meet?" Xisuma asked the seventeen-year-old.

"Yeah, there's Taurtis, BigB, Netty, Tomo, Mini and Salem." The blonde listed. "But the others other than Taurtis and BigB are away looking for items and stuff for the next couple of months. You will hopefully be gone by then."

"Look, uh, Xelqua. Can I speak to you for a second?" Martyn asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "In private."

"Sure." The green-hatted one nodded, following the older one out of the room and into the back, leaving the Hermits to mingle with the others.

Chapter Text

"Xelqua? Seriously?" Martyn confronted with a sigh. "I thought you hated the name the Watchers gave you, G."

"We still can't fully trust them, and I don't want anything linking me back to high school," Grian said, frowning. "They've already asked about it, I can't be sure if they are from there, or... anything else. They might be from the Watchers, even though that's highly unlikely."

"How would that be unlikely?" The elf asked, returning a frown.

"The Watchers don't use hybrids. They are seen as impure or lesser lifeforms. That's why most of us are hybrids, and the admin isn't. So the probability of them using hybrids is... very low." The human took off his hat, golden hair bouncing out of its constraints.

"Grian, when did your hair become golden?" Martyn asked quietly.

"Since the Watchers... did something to me last jump." The teen mumbled before putting his hat back on. "It's less noticeable with the hat."

Martyn looked at his admin- no, his friend, and pulled the 17-year-old into a hug. "We'll get out of here, somehow."

"Don't jinx it." Grian warned, and Martyn smiled at him. It was a bit of a forced smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I've got a couple of friends that have sound-proofed this conversation." He simply said, making Grian frown.

"Liste-?"

"Shh! Let's just leave now." Martyn smiled. "Those Hermits must be getting threatened by Jimmy or bombarded with questions by Pearl, by now."

"Yeah, ok." The admin nodded before they left the backroom.

The front room was empty. They looked around the whole room, in case they were playing some elaborate hide-and-seek game. But no Evolutioners nor Hermits could be found.

"Pearl left a note!" Martyn announced, before reading it out loud to Grian. "Griba, we've left to show the Hermits the statues. Don't worry, we'll be back before nightfall. From Pearl."

Martyn looked up to see Grian's paled face.

"Don't you have to set your spawn in case you fall on the way there-?" He questioned before realisation hit them like a truck. The duo began running through the empty streets, Martyn keeping an ear out for them when they got closer. The golden blonde ran in front, eyes fiery with determination and worry.

They mustn't set their spawn.

Gem walked beside Pearl, listening to the teens ramble on about anything and everything, answering a couple of questions here and there.

"So, you look like a deer hybrid, but your magical aura is more powerful than a normal fawn or of that sort." Pearl noticed.

"I'm a demigod. I have celestial powers, being a child of the sun. I can change my form, but this is my normal one." Gem said with a smile.

"Ah, that's cool!" the girl grinned.

"How did you realise that?" Gem asked. "I'm a moon moth hybrid. We have innate abilities to sense magic forces and see through spells. As well as just a natural connection to the moon." Gem nodded, looking back at the group.

Tango and Jimmy were talking excitedly about Tango's time with him in Double Life. The Netherborne was talking so happily, and the canary listened tentatively. Behind them, Mumbo, Ren and Xisuma were walking side by side and were talking about random things. Every so often, Ren bounded forward and added in info about the Life Games that Tango forgot about.

"You guys seem very close," Pearl said. "Reminds me of us Evolutioners, a dysfunctional family."

"That's what TFC called us," Gem said, smiling sadly at the memory of the prior oldest hermit. "It was before I joined, but everyone kept quoting it every time a meeting got chaotic."

"Sounds fun," Pearl joked, as the slow-paced group stopped before a large ravine. "You are going to need to set your spawn, in case you fall." She instructed as Mumbo began walking towards the spawn bed.

"Stop!" Someone from behind yelled. They all turned around, noticing Xelqua and Martyn running towards them. "Don't set your spawn!"

"What?" Pearl asked as Mumbo took a tentative step away from the bed.

"Your spawns will be tethered to this world. You won't be able to leave." Martyn explained as the admin rushed up to Mumbo.

"Did you ever so happen to touch the bed?!" He asked urgently. The ravenette shook his head.

"No."

"Good." The blonde sighed, slumping against a tree trunk. "Pearl, for Watcher's sake what were you thinking?"

"I thought they might like the statues." Pearl admitted with a sad look on her face. Gem couldn't help but feel bad for the teen; she had forgotten, it wasn't really her fault.

"It's okay, Pearl." Xelqua smiled softly, patting her back before turning towards everyone. "From now on, everyone knows where everyone goes. No splitting up on large travels, and always have a partner. Always." He ordered, earning a nod from everyone. "Now let's all head back. I'm pretty sure Taurtis is making dinner today."

Dinner was, to put it lightly, something alright. The blue headphoned man who looked around Xelqua's age was already at the campfire when they arrived. The two seemed very close when talking, Taurtis even placing a silly kiss on Xelqua's hand. The green-clad man laughed before they all had dinner as the sun fell. The only light was coming from the fire and boiling pot.

"What is it?" Mumbo asked as Taurtis smiled with pride.

"Taste and find out!" He told them, before turning to the evolutionists and giving them their own bowls.

"So did any of you guys have connections before this world?" Xisuma asked in genuine curiosity. Xelqua turned to face Martyn, the two sharing a strange and unreadable look before they all looked back at the oldest of all of them.

"Well, me and Xel went to high school together!" Taurtis said with glee before taking a large mouthful of soup. "And he, Jim and Pearl are practically siblings." The Hermits looked at the three. Xisuma frowned. Neither future Pearl nor Jimmy had ever talked about a Xelqua, which is very strange, especially if they are close enough to be siblings.

"Me and my wife Netty were acquaintances before this. And being trapped here got us closer, and we fell in love." Martyn said, earning an awe from Gem and Tango. Ren laughed as he finally took a small spoonful of soup.

"It's suspicious stew!" The wolf exclaimed. "Poppies, right?"

"Yes!" Taurtis smiled. "Finally someone got it right! How did you know?"

"I mean my eyesight got a bit better, not by much since I can already see in the dark, but I can smell and taste the slight hint of poppies in it." Taurtis gleamed, nudging up to Xelqua and smiling. "You were never able to guess it, not even when we were with S-"

"Look!" Xelqua exclaimed, pointing to the sky. "The Watchers have shown a couple of constellations!" The ensemble of players looked up to see the dark sky freckled with stars. Most of the more well-known formations were absent, replaced by rectangular constellations, all being similar.

"It's their symbol," BigB said. The man had been pretty silent up until then, only joining in on laughs occasionally. "They have replaced all the ones I knew before with themselves. Even the ones that aren't their symbol, have to do with them or our adventures, like little trophies." The Hermits nodded, looking at the twinkling stars.

"It's scarily beautiful."

"So is a Watcher. They have a haunting beauty about them." Xelqua said with a small frown. "Their statues are beautiful, carved so intricately and with such detail. But they are also eldritch-like beings, with powers not even comprehensible by players' minds. We are just toys and lessers to them."

"Especially us hybrids," Jimmy said sadly. "We are seen as filthy. That's probably why most of us are hybrids." Xelqua faced the canary, for the bird to shrug. "It's true. Us here; Martyn is an elf, Pearl is a moth, and BigB is a descendent of a mole species. Even Netty is a mouse." The blonde turned to the hermits.

"And all of you are hybrids." They all went silent, pondering the teen's words. It was true, to be blunt. Which he had been.

"Tim..." Xelqua ventured, earning the canary's dismissive shake.

"Sorry. Just... I hate this place. And it feels like being me is the reason I'm here."

"Look, Jimmy." Gem spoke up, facing the small canary. "You get out. Us knowing you is proof. I'm part god. I know things, and spells trapping players in worlds like this don't last for long. Even moving around each jump doesn't replenish the hold on you guys. You will get out."

The blonde nodded, turning to face Xelqua who gave him a hug. "Don't worry, Timmy." He whispered.

The Hermits all faced each other, frowning as they looked towards the sky, the stars twinkling down and glowing like eyes. Watching them.

Chapter Text

He watched with distaste at the world below him. He didn't truly hate the world; after all, he built in that world, lived there. His friends were there. What were their names again? The watcher sighed, breath shaking. His eyes strained as he stared at the blurry faces of players.

What were their names? The golden blonde sighed as he ruffled his feathers, the many eyes on his skin trailing around his arms and wings. Taking in as much as he could from the vantage point to which he was fixed. He knew it was a dream. He'd had so many of these by now. But it anguished him to not be able to leave and just watch.

"Xelqua." A muddy voice called to him. That was his name, right?

"Xelqua. Xelqua! Wake up!"

Xisuma looked down at the teen as the blonde woke. The birds were already twittering above, and the sun was rising red and golden. The youngest admin winced, clutching his head as sitting up weakly.

"Is it morning already?" He yawned.

"Yeah. You might want to see this." X said, helping the younger up onto his feet. The two began walking towards spawn, at which Xelqua noticed an obsidian statue looming in the centre. "I now know what you mean by beautiful and scary."

Xelqua nodded as they reached the base of the statue, where a couple of other players stood.

"Hi guys," Taurtis greeted, waltzing up to Xelqua and winking. "Needed some beauty sleep, Xello-Gello?"

"Hmm. Yeah." Xelqua replied with a grin.

The Hermits and Evolutioners looked up at the statue, taking in its intricate beauty. The obsidian was carved and chiselled in a way that would be impossible to replicate. Each fold of fabric flowed down like a cloak the being wore. Each feather was visible, and even each vein under the skin was noticeable on the black statue. Robes that even looked see-through flowed in an imaginary frozen wind. The Watcher was looking down at the base of the statue, where Xisuma spotted a lectern made of equally beautiful obsidian.

"Wow," Tango said as he stared at it. "Not even the best obsidian carver back in Hels could do this." Gem nodded as Pearl approached.

"This is what I wanted to show you. It's obviously a new one, but the others are this detailed."

"It's incredible." The ginger breathed out. "I've lived for centuries, and not even the oldest and more cared-for structured look this beautiful."

"It's not as good quality as the others," Martyn remarked. "It's hollow and had less shaping done as the older ones. They made this in a rush." The group turned to the elf.

Xelqua cocked his head, with a frown. "Which means it's urgent for them."

"Maybe. But the book..." Martyn trailed off. The blonde frowned and began walking to the base and opened the book to the only page.

Weary Hermit travellers

Who offer themselves as new challengers,

Will leave only them it's time,

When it's the end of the rhyme.

The Voidwalker is familiar,

But so very inferior.

Xelqua, our Child, and Chosen and who we see

When it's the End, one of us you will soon be

"What?" He muttered, turning to the group of players. "Anyone know what that means?"

"No clue." Taurtis shrugged, the rest agreeing with him.

"They mentioned you, Xisuma." Mumbo pointed out. "Voidwalker means you, right?"

"Yeah... but why 'familiar' and 'inferior'?"

"I mean, both Voidwalkers and Watchers are children of the Void created from the folds of the darkness. Just Voidwalkers are hybrids from humans and Watchers are pure-blooded. That might be what they mean." Martyn explained with a frown at the wording. "Xelqua, what do you think about the last two lines?"

"I mean, the chosen and who we see part makes the most sense. They normally Watch, observe and mess with me out of everyone.

"And the last line... I don't want to think about that at all." The blonde shrunk back in himself, Xisuma noticed. He decided to draw attention away.

"Well, it says we will leave at the End. Like the void end." He pointed out. "If that's the next jump?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's right. We just need to get the clues they'll set for us and that will be it!" Xelqua exclaimed. "Then we don't have to worry about you getting home and staying safe from creepy prophesies!"

The blonde smiled wide, eyes twitching, before setting off with Pearl and Jimmy (who he called Timmy for some reason, like most of Jimmy's older friends). Mumbo decided to tag along, as the rest of the group continued to do their chores or look around spawn.

"Watchers' sake!" Grian cried out, kicking away a stone. He knew that Timmy and Pearl wanted nothing more than to reassure and help him, but that Mumbo Jumbo had decided to tag along. So, the three companions kept a couple of steps away.

Rage blinded him, almost making him yell every lie he'd told the Hermits. But he didn't.

"Look, it'll be okay." Pearl reassured him as Mumbo looked at the found family.

"If it's not getting out of here you are worried about-" Mumbo attempted to comfort, probably about to tell him what Gem had already said the prior night, but Grian cut him off.

"But we don't all get out!" He snapped. "I know because none of you know me. And because of my dreams. I get stuck here even when the other Evolutioners leave!" Tears swelled up in his eyes.

Mumbo took a couple of steps back. The moustached man froze from shock while Timmy immediately rushed forward and hugged him. The canary embraced his brother, the human returning the hug shakily.

"I'll make sure you don't get stuck. My strong muscles won't let the Watchers take you from us." The small joke went unnoticed by the four as Pearl hugged Grian as well.

"I'm going to stop those dreams tonight. You can finally get a nice sleep, Griba." She whispered quietly enough for Mumbo to not hear.

"I'm sorry, Mumbo," Grian said eventually as he wiped a tear from his red face.

"No, I'm sorry. Us saying we know all of you other than you was probably not the nicest thing to say to you guys."

"Yeah, well... I think we should head back to spawn and find a couple of others." Grian offered nervously.

"I can go ahead, leave you three to walk at your own pace." Mumbo offered, setting off at a brisk pace. The three siblings watched on as the man left quickly.

"Shit," Grian sobbed. "I'm never going to see you guys after Evo..."

"Grian, there is no proper evidence for that. You did tell them your name was Xelqua, so they might actually know you." Jimmy said with an extra squeeze of the hand. The human patted his back with a wry smile.

"Yeah, you are probably right." He said, trying to convince himself more than his friends. "Let's get going. I'm pretty sure Tango and Xisuma were wanting a tour." He declared as the three set off.

They walked past trees and bushes, all so familiar from being trapped for so long. Each berry bush was the same as it always had been, and each broken branch and tree stump was covered in moss and foliage. Pearl fluttered in front of the two flightless teens, chattering away with her brothers as they walked hand in hand. This felt right. Normal. This is how Grian wished it always could be. But he knew from his dreams. This peaceful walk would end abruptly at any turn. He just didn't know how long it would take.

"I'm sorry, what!" Tango smiled widely. "You made a whole redstone-operated obstacle course this early in time!" The flame atop his head was flickering pink and gold, reflecting his joy.

"It wasn't much." Xelqua said with a bat of his hand. Xisuma chuckled.

"Tango's one of the best redstoners in Hermitcraft," he said truthfully. The man had made an entire underground game, with so many mechanics he had to make a video explaining it all.

"You seem like quite the redstoner-"

"No, really. I spent weeks just learning what a redstone torch does," he argued. "I break everything I touch, with all the buttons and levers, it's best to keep me away from any redstone. I'm more of a builder."

"Useful to know." Xisuma mentally noted, before turning to see Gem running up to them.

"X!" She cried, almost tripping over her own hooves in her haste to get to them. "I can't find Mumbo anywhere!" She said with panic in her voice. The three immediately perked up, facing her with worry.

"What?!" Xisuma asked as Gem flopped over into his arms. She was breathing heavily and had clearly been running for long. "He's missing?"

"Y-yeah!" She gasped, her eyes trembling. "I can't find him, neither can Jimmy, Martyn, Taurtis, B, Pearl-”"

"Calm down, we'll find him," Xelqua said, stepping towards her. "We'll send out a search party; he can't have gone too far." The blonde reassured, helping the girl up and facing her server mates.

"Can Ren track?"

"Yeah." Tango nodded. "He said he was going to be in the police station for a bit."

"Get him, take Gem with you. Xisuma and I will get some gear for us." Xelqua ordered. The Netherborne and demigod sprinted towards the station. The younger admin then faced the older. "I'll show you the storage."

The Voidwalker nodded, and they hurried to Xelqua's house. However, upon attempting to climb the steps, he was warned.

"I wouldn't. Jimmy decided to trap my floor as a 'prank'. The goods are out here." The blonde said, revealing a tattered chest under the brick wall after clearing some dirt away. "Take what you need. there's armour, weapons, blocks, food... Grab some for your friends too."

Xisuma opened the chest and emptied out most of it, selecting items suitable for his fellow server members.

"Normally G would help with tracking down people. He was really good at it." Xisuma said, as Xelqua pushed an iron helmet over his green hat.

"Really?" The teen asked with a wavering voice, probably due to Mumbo going missing.

"Yeah, he'd fly around for like... half an hour and would have found Scar in the most ridiculous places."

"Who's Scar?" Xel asked, keeping the conversation going as they filled their inventory with items.

"The optimist. He's one of the kindest, if clumsy, people in all of Hermitcraft." Xisuma said with a thin smile.

"They're all your family. I get it." Xelqua said, sheathing a diamond sword and passing one to X. He nodded, taking the sword as he pondered the younger's words.

They were his family. Basically his children, even if some were older than him. He'd taken care of them all, outcasts to society or just those who were lost and hurting, and given them a home. A world where they were safe from any demons from their past. When he found Cleo being attacked by hunters for being undead, when he found Tango with his flame almost extinguished, seeking shelter from the rain, and when he found Grian, bleeding to death in the main hub, his wings destroyed and eyes quivering in fear. The amount of panic attacks and trust issues he'd help him heal from... he'd do anything to keep his family safe. But now, his family was in danger. They were in a perilous world with evil gods, and Mumbo was missing, lost, just like when he first found him.

"We should meet up with the others, and get to finding Mumbo as soon as possible." He told Xelqua. The boy nodded, leading him back to where Gem had run to them. Now, Jimmy, Martyn, Pearl, Gem, Ren and Tango were standing there, awaiting their orders. The admins stopped before the group and dropped their spare armour and weaponry.

"Get them on. It's gonna be a long night." Xelqua ordered, as Jimmy made a face.

"Where have you been hiding this?!" He gasped, shaking his head. "I swear to Void, I raided your whole house."

"I have a couple of tricks up my sleeves." Xel shrugged before passing his brother an axe. "But we now need to find Mumbo."

Chapter Text

The ensemble of players walked through the forest, the moon shining overhead like a spotlight. The group gazed around, following a weak trail as they trudged through the dark.

"We should split up now." Xelqua said, and the group stopped instantly. Despite being younger than all the Hermits, his words commanded respect, and they also were slightly scared of him. Something about how he held himself and could talk his way into stuff or just order them around was strangely familiar and terrifying.

"Xisuma, you, Ren, Martyn, and Tango go west. I, Pearl, Jimmy, and Gem will go east. Ren and Pearl are our trackers, Jimmy and Martyn have a good ear and can hear him when you get closer and know most the land, and Gem and Tango can light the way." he explained. Everyone nodded, agreeing with no hesitation.

"Let's go." Xisuma said, before his group split up from Xelqua. The Hermits and Martyn walked down an invisible trail as Martyn guided them with Tango's firelight, swaying at the slightest notice from Ren.

"Try to send a message to him." Tango offered. X took out his communicator and typed out a message.

<To: MumboJumbo> [message failed to send]

"It's not working." He mumbled, before Martyn pulled out his own and tried to send it. The message failed as well.

"Shit- do you think you guys can't send and receive messages in Evo?" Martyn said, failing to send one to Xisuma.

"Probably. Best to tell Xelqua that." Xisuma said, looking as Martyn sent off the message message.

<InTheLittleWood> The hermits can't send or receive messages on their communicators.

If you get any updates to the search, send them to me and I'll inform Xisuma

<Xelqua> Good to know

"Wait if we are all looking for Mumbo, where is BigB and Taurtis?" Tango asked as Martyn pointed ahead to see through the foliage.

"They are staying back at spawn in case he comes back." Xisuma told him, before Ren stood straight up and sniffed at the air. "What's wrong?"

"I can smell... something, my dudes. Something other than us. Alive." The wolf muttered, before pointing up a small slope. "Down there."

"Then let's go." Martyn said quickly, as the four began sliding down the dirt slope and into dimly lit shadows.

Grian led them east, pausing before every other turn. Jimmy mostly pointed out landmarks to help them navigate their way back when they had to leave or eventually backtrack.

"I can sense a magical aura around here... what kind of hybrid is Mumbo again?" Pearl asked as Gem held her glowing hand out to a bush with snapped twigs.

"Shapeshifter. More shifting abilities than me so he could even be a more human-sized animal. But I doubt he'd become an animal unless he was hiding from something...." Gem trailed off as Grian looked down to his communicator.

<InTheLittleWood> The hermits can't send or receive messages on their communicators.

If you get any updates to the search, send them to me and I'll inform Xisuma

He frowned, contemplating the reason. Probably because their respawns aren't set to this world, or the Watchers don't want them communicating...

<Xelqua> Good to know

"The Hermits' communicators don't work." He told the group, before turning to the demigod. "Do not leave either of our sides." He instructed her forcefully.

"Of course." Gem nodded before lighting up a small patch of forest. "Oh- there's a cave here." She pointed out.

"I've never seen this mountain here before." Timmy muttered.

"The aura is coming from in here." Pearl said, before the group's focus shifted to the admin.

"Let's go in."

Fog enclosed around them. The second they had slid to the bottom of the ditch, the grey clouds clung to them like a suffocating hug. It was so dark, with Tango's light reaching only 2 meters around them.

"I can't see anything." Ren complained, tail between his legs. "I can normally see well in the dark but I can't."

"Watcher magic?" Xisuma guessed, all heads turning to Martyn.

"What? I don't know. Maybe." The blonde huffed as Ren looked at Martyn sadly.

"I know you don't know us well, but... I have missed you." He mumbled, his ears drooping. The elf frowned, guilt encrusting his face.

"I'm sure... I will miss you too. Just... now's not the time. We have to find Mumbo."

Xisuma nodded before looking down at his communicator. It was practically useless now, not being able to teleport, message, nothing. "You think you can expand your flame?" He asked Tango.

"Unless you want me to accidentally set the whole forest aflame, I can't." The Netherborne replied while squinting around. His blue flame had turned a deep green when they were submerged in the fog. The light was flickering low against his head. "Ren, can you pick up the trail of the... alive-person-hopefully-Mumbo?"

"One sec, my dude. The trail is cold." The man growled to himself as he sniffed around. "Ew."

"Hm?"

"Something smells wrong. I can smell the track, as well as something else." He pushed his sunglasses up his head and behind his wolf ears, which twitched at the distant noise.

"Did you hear that-" Martyn whispered as Ren's eyes widened.

"Wait- fuck! Go! We need to go!" The wolf gasped, running away and towards the slope they slid down. The man tried to scramble up to it, the others following. But the slope was too steep and the night too dark. "I smell Void!" Ren gasped in terror, grabbing Martyn and Xisuma by the hands and pulling them away into a run. Tango followed close behind. "Like- pure Void!"  They continued their running, tripping every so often on branches and roots.

"Watchers!?" Xisuma gasped, turning around to look into the darkness behind him. "Why would they be down here?!"

"It's-"

But Ren didn't get the chance to finish, as the group felt their feet leave the ground and began plummeting down. Wind quipped around them, slapping their faces before feeling bones break as they landed.

"Shit."

Xisuma heard Martyn mutter through echoes before losing consciousness.

The cave passages were dusty and cold. The frost that resided deep in the dark nipped at their fingertips and cheeks. Even Gem suffered from the cold, her warm, glowing hands tried to warm her companions. Xelqua faced his group as Pearl pointed down a tunnel trailing further east.

"The aura is coming from there." She said with chattering teeth. Jimmy nodded and led them all down.

"Don't worry, I'll lead you guys." He said, even though Xelqua could hear the fear in his voice.

"Guys, not to be whiny or anything... But this place is unnaturally cold. And I have natural insulation."

"Yeah... Wait, how would saying that be whiny?" Pearl asked, causing Gem to frown.

"I mean, you guys are acting like this is normal. That it's okay." The ginger frowned, as Grian faced her with a stern expression.

"This is normal," Grian said with a slight frown. "The Watchers have done similar things, almost burning us to death, putting us above endless pits with no respawns-"

"Leaving us in the forest to find our own ways to spawn when we first arrived here," Jimmy added as they continued. "Xelqua, you didn't go through that part. You were the only player to spawn at spawn. We all were scattered around the surrounding forest. Like you Hermits."

"Don't worry, Gem. We'll find Mumbo, you guys can leave, and you can go back to your own timeline with future us." Pearl said, side-hugging the demigod. Grian sighed internally. He wasn't going to leave and would have to say goodbye to the Evolutioners eventually.

He'd have to say goodbye to his family.

"Shit. It's a dead end." Jimmy whined, kicking the stone wall of the cave. The tunnel they had been travelling down had come to an abrupt end, with Timmy being the victim of the discovery, sporting a red scrape over his face where he hit the dirty wall.

"We can turn back, take another passage," Gem offered before Pearl interrupted.

"But the aura is trailing further through the tunnel. It's going through the wall."

"Maybe there is a way through." Timmy said, placing his hand against the stone and tracing the scratchy lines. Knocking against the cave walls until his knuckles turned red and raw, he placed an ear to the cold wall.

"Right here," he announced, placing his palm down on the spot. "It's the thinnest part of the wall."

"Great." Grian nodded before ushering his group back. "Clear the way." Came his small mutter as they complied. Then, with a short run-up, he bashed his elbow against the wall. Dust and debris flew up, covering their faces in a thick sheet of dusty grey.

"Now, that's how you bust open a wall."

"Why do I feel like that's a jab at me?" Timmy muttered as Gem shone her light into the newly revealed passage.

"You guys were right. I can't believe I was going to make us fall back and go a different way..."

"Hey. It's not your fault. We're just a bit more experienced with the Watcher's puzzles."

"'Kay," she sighed before looking to Grian. "Are we going in?"

"We need to find Mumbo. So yes, onward!"

They had been walking for hours. Pearl, being the optimist she was, kept saying she could feel they were drawing closer with every turn and step. Gem was still lighting the way, although her light was flickering dimmer the longer she kept going. Timmy kept complaining about his feet being sore and had ended up getting a piggyback ride from Grian. Grian maintained his position at the front, leading the way, making sure the corners were safe and no mobs could hurt them, ensuring they didn't fall into any ditches. He was still able to work efficiently even with the taller teen on his back, urging them all forward.

"Anyone has any idea what time it is?" Grian asked the group after a particularly long straight line of walking.

"Around 4 am." Gem mumbled as her eyes began drooping. "Xelqua, I don't think I can keep going for much longer. The light is draining a lot out of me, and I haven't been in the sun for a while." Grian nodded, slowing to walk parallel to her.

"I can kick Timmy off my back and carry you if that would help."

"No, what I really need is at least some sunlight to recharge."

"We'll most likely reach the other side of the mountain soon," he said convincingly, even with no truth behind his words. Optimism is better than knowing the cruel truth, after all.

"We are going slightly uphill." Pearl noticed. "We have been for about an hour."

"That's a good thing, right?" Jimmy asked drearily.

"Hopefully," Grian shrugged as he adjusted the teen on his back into a more comfortable position. The four continued walking, their pace slowing slightly from fatigue.

"You think the others are doing any better in their search?" Gem asked.

"No idea. They've gone radio silent for the last couple of hours. I'm not sure if it's because the signal has been interrupted from the mountain, or they just aren't talking." Jimmy answered, opening his communicator.

"I wouldn't send a message. They might be silent to not draw attention to themselves." Grian advised.

Chapter Text

While the brothers were engrossed in conversation, a resounding thud echoed from behind as something heavy collided with the ground. The siblings whipped around to find Gem sprawled on the floor, her light extinguished by exhaustion as the cavern plunged into darkness.

"Shit!" Grian yelled, rushing over to her and crouching at her side. He quickly pressed two fingers against her neck to check her pulse.

"Is she alive?!" Timmy asked, voice wavering.

"Y- yeah. She's- she's alive." Grian breathed out, his shoulders slumping as relief washed over him.

"Thank Void," Pearl said, running to her brother's side and helping him lift the demigod. "We need to get her in the sun. As soon as possible." The boys nodded, and Timmy began leading them through the cavern in the dark.

They pressed on, the encroaching darkness and biting cold wearing at their resolve and hope. A growl came from in front, causing Timmy to leap back and fall to the floor. The mob ahead reached for Grian and Gem, who were the closest people to it. Pearl swung out her axe, the enchanted blade shining in the dark and she began slicing at the zombie. It grasped for her arm, groaning as drool slobbered from its mouth and fell between Timmy's legs, who had been caught between the fight. The moth hybrid pushed onwards, drawing the zombie away from the others and further into the cave. She kept slicing and going at it, eventually severing its arm before sending it toppling down into a ravine below.

"Holy shit." Timmy breathed, pushing himself up against a rock and limping over to Pearl. The wide slit through the cavern was entirely encased within the stone, with no break into the surface. "It's lucky we didn't fall into that."

"You're shitting me, right?" Grian gasped, still carrying Gem in a bridal pose as he rushed to catch up to them. "Such a big ravine, and it doesn't even break into the surface?"

"Just our luck," Timmy replied before looking up. "But we could probably climb up to a higher passage and make our way from there. Where is the aura leading us?"

"Up, like how we'd been going for a while," Pearl said, leaning over the edge and examining the higher parts. "But how are we going to get Gem up- What?"

The two were looking at her, lips pinched as they regarded the only one of the three who could fly.

"Well, Pearl, I think we have the answer," Grian informed, handing Gem over to her. "Alas, it's the only way."

"Fuck you, Griba." Pearl hissed, letting out a couple of moth squeaks. Despite her annoyance, she hauled Gem up to the higher ledges and waited for Grian and Timmy to follow.

"Ready?" Grian asked, taking Gem back before receiving slow and apprehensive nods. "Then let's go."

It was dark and foggy. As he crawled on the ground, a tearing pain shot through his legs and sides. His vision doubled, and the cacophony of coughs and yells of pain around him made him realise the hoarseness of his own throat, evidence of his own screams. Blood dripped from his lips, staining the dirt path beneath his scraped limbs. Gashed hands scratched along the ground as he desperately tried to reach any of his companions. He could feel the broken shards of glass and bent metal from his helmet beneath his body. Some of it protruded from his face, causing blood and tears to drip freely.

"'Suma?" A weak voice called out to him as he approached one of the unidentifiable bodies. Blood filled the creases of their face, and their clothes were so ripped and bloodied around the limbs that he couldn't distinguish the leg from the arm.

"Xisuma?" They asked again, reaching out to him.

"Tango?" Xisuma replied, feeling a wave of sickness build up in the back of his throat at the sight of his kid. The flame atop Tango's head had fully extinguished, replaced with blood-laced blonde hair that fell tangled over his face.

"X... tell Impulse and Zed-”"

"Don't talk like that!" Xisuma wanted to yell, but his voice had given out from screaming. "I'm going to get us out of here!"

"Xisuma, I'm grateful you were my admin." The Netherborn said with a small smile and Xisuma held him close to his chest as the sun began to rise, casting a deep red hue.

He wished Mumbo hadn't gone missing. Obviously, because it'd be really evil to wish for the silly, funny, moustachioed man to have gone missing. But now he really wishes he hadn't disappeared. Because then all of this wouldn't have happened. Gem wouldn't be unconscious. They wouldn't be lost in this seemingly never-ending maze of tunnels. They would know if Xisuma and his group were okay. They would know, at least, that they were going to die stranded and alone.

Timmy looked over to Grian, his face paling as he saw Gem lying limply in his arms again. The boy's skin turned a nasty shade of green before stomach acid and food hurled up, and he emptied his insides out onto the floor.

"Jimmy!" Pearl said weakly, trying to get over to him as quickly as she could, despite her exhaustion. "It'll be okay, little bird." His nickname slipped through before the boy squeezed her into a hug so tight she struggled to breathe. The canary began crying on her shoulder, shivering.

"I'm so tired," he trembled.

"We'll get out, Tim. Don't worry," Grian reassured, helping him up and giving Gem to Pearl. Then, he heaved Jimmy onto his back, giving his brother a break from walking.

"Um... Griba," Pearl began, holding Gem firmly against her chest.

"What now?" The blonde asked, feeling Jimmy's soft breaths against his neck as the canary drifted to sleep. "Please don't tell me something bad has happened!"

"Well, I wouldn't say bad... just deeply concerning," Pearl muttered as she pointed down the corridor- it was the entrance. The entrance to the cave system.

"We were travelling up!" Grian's yelling echoed through the tunnels. He glared at the vine wall that hid the entrance, or their entrance.

"We must have gone down at some point, dipped near the start and came back up, or even-" Pearl began to ramble.

"It doesn't matter; we need to leave now!" Grian said, heading towards the vines. Instead, his face hit a dead end.

"Griba!" Pearl gasped as she fluttered to him while carrying her load. "You okay?!"

"No! The entrance-!" he shouted before taking a step back and inhaling deeply. He allowed the anger to drain out, realizing that now was not the time to get emotional. He needed to be clear-minded and focused to get them out.

"Let's go back to the main corridor, find an alternate passage, and try to reach the top of the mountain to break through," he decided, glancing at the sleeping and unconscious hybrids they had to haul.

"Kay." Pearl agreed, nudging up to him and smiling. "We can do this! How many things have we succeeded in completing so far?"

"Too many to count."

"Exactly! And now we will do it again! And even better this time!"

"You're right! Now, Pearlo, you willing to save these two and find Mumbo?"

"Yes!"

"Then let's do this shit!" After the two finished hyping up the other, they repositioned their loads and got to work.

"Pearl? Xelqua?" Gem murmured as they walked down the fourth passage.

"Gem! Thank Void you're okay!" Pearl cried with a slight laugh.

"Barely. My head hurts like Hels, and my sunlight is so low... I don't know how I'm even conscious."

"I mean, you haven't been awake for a couple of hours. It's around... 6 am now," Xelqua filled her in, helping her to her feet. She noticed that Jimmy wore the top of the admin's usual hat, letting his head breathe, while his curls fell matted over his face. She didn't look any better, however. She was even paler, and her normally neon orange hair had dulled to a copper. "And I'm fairly certain we are reaching sunlight, though."

"How do you know?"

"Just an intuition," the human replied as Jimmy snored on his shoulder.

"Is he doing okay? He looks sickly," Gem asked.

"Just exhaustion. He needed a rest," Pearl reassured, helping the ginger walk slowly. "But don't worry, he will be fine."

"Good to know," the demigod breathed with a small smile.

They continued to walk, going further up. The floor began getting steeper and steeper as they trekked. Eventually, the tunnel began to get brighter.

"When does the sun rise here?" Gem asked the two.

"It's close to winter, so... 7:30-ish."

"And we've been walking for an hour and a half."

"So-?" Xelqua's eyes widened before he heaved Jimmy off his back to wake him. Shaking the canary, he heard spluttering chirps and groaning as the teen woke.

"The fuck-?"

"We are almost out of here, birdy." Pearl smiled at him.

The blonde jumped up and smiled wildly at Grian. "Really?" He squeaked.

"We believe so." The human laughed as the boy ran ahead.

Gem felt her energy build up as the sun flared past the boys' silhouettes. They continued trekking uphill before coming to a gaping hole in the face of the mountain. Jimmy had slowed down, walking alongside Pearl and Gem, allowing the admin to take the lead.

The sun shone into the demigod's eyes as she watched Xelqua turn and smile at the three. "Let's finally get out of here!" He exclaimed before they broke out into the sunbathed greenery.

They stood atop a jagged ridge, overlooking a foggy pool of grey. Birds squawked above their heads, swooping low and pecking at a small fruit tree. Its fruit was golden and plush-looking. Xelqua picked one, inspecting the flesh.

"It's so bright," Jimmy whined. Gem and Xelqua shrugged, unfazed. Pearl took off her jumper and gave it to her brother to use for shade.

"Yeah," she reassured as the ginger looked over the ledge. "Shit," she whispered, drawing her companions over to her.

"Gem..?"

"I see—shit!" She choked out, tears pricking up in her eyes. She pulled the three away from the edge and stared at them pleadingly. "D- don't look. I'll sort this."

"What happened?" Jimmy asked timidly.

"They—just stay here," she said finally, before nodding to the admin to keep his siblings away and sliding down the ledge to reach her family—or what remained of them, by the looks of it.

Chapter Text

"Grian," Jimmy's voice wavered as he looked at his brother.

The admin had the younger teens away from the edge, exerting force against their weight. He'd glimpsed what lay below. The thought had his stomach churned, but he had to muster strength. Not just for himself but for the Evolutioners, for the Hermits. He couldn't afford to break.

"What's down there?"

"The Hermits," he replied weakly, his gaze fixed on the ground.

"W- why can't we join up with them then?"

"No. Just- Don't look. Please." The blonde begged.

"Griba-"

"That's an order!" He snapped, facing them with furious eyes. "As your admin, I order you not to look."

The two stepped away, their faces fallen. "O- okay," Pearl replied, her expression downcast.

"Didn't they go west? How were they here when we went east?" Jimmy asked, looking around the top of the mountain.

"Watcher magic, most likely; warping the world, or they might have gone east at some point and gotten mixed up," Grian replied, keeping to the edge of the mountain and shielding their gazes. "It's unimportant. Right now, we should be helpful. Do you know where the aura is coming from, Pearl?"

"Um... the tree," Pearl replied, facing the aforementioned plant. Grian frowned and looked at the fruit he'd dropped at some point, then faced the tree.

"Well then, let's check it out," Jimmy said lightly. The trio began trudging towards it, weapons at the ready in case- well, it's clear by now. Grian looked at the two and nodded before going around the large trunk of the tree. He expected to see someone (or something) behind the tree... But instead, it looked as barren as the front.

"Nothing behind it," he told them, kicking at the trunk in frustration. "Are you sure it's this tree?"

"Well... the aura is going down again," Pearl admitted, earning a growl from Grian.

"Seriously?! We just got out of there!"

"Maybe it's not the caverns," Jimmy whispered, still loud enough for the others to hear. "But under the tree. Like in the roots, or under the trunk."

"That's... really smart of you, Tim."

"Have you ever doubted me?"

"Yes. Lots. Ever since you tried to eat that poison berry to open a trapped-"

"Okay! Yup! Point taken." Jimmy nodded quickly. The canary ruffled his feathers as he kneeled down towards the stump. "We can dig around here."

Pearl grabbed her shovel and effortlessly plunged it into the ground. "Let's begin," she said, as both Jimmy and Grian followed suit and took out their own shovels.

Xisuma blinked wearily, his throat empty from screaming and crying. He felt hollow. Tango lay at his feet, his stare blank as he tried to distinguish one person from another. Martyn was next to him, barely awake and shivering. Blood smeared around his leg, a large spike protruding from the flesh. He crawled over to the elf, and looked down at him. X tried to press as hard as he could against his leg, only for the elf to cry out with more tears and screams.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry," he choked out, trying to slow the bleeding. The elf grimaced, keeling over and clutching his own leg.

"Ren's whimpering," Martyn said through tears. X nodded, spotting the wolf curled on his side with blood scratching his face. His classic shades were shattered over the skin, stabbing his dirty face.

"Ren," Xisuma said, crawling to the wolf hybrid, his legs feeling like they were burning. "Please- Ren?"

"'Suma? T-thats you, my dude?" The man's tail twitched stiffly as the crunching of bones under body weight told X he was in pain. They were all hurting, screaming, crying.

"Y- yeah," X whispered, finally pulling Ren towards him with what little strength he had left and examining his face. The scruffy beard was laced with blood, matching his deep red-stained manbun. Black glass littered deep and long gashes in his skin.

"Xisuma- It hurts, dude. Really hurts."

"I know, Ren," he whispered and hugged the man. He seemed the least affected, apart from the glass scratches. X had broken legs and probably bruised or broken ribs. Martyn was impaled but was keeping the blood flow under wraps. And Tango-

Xisuma felt sick as his gaze wafted to the Netherborn.

"Shit," Ren gasped, following his gaze. "Tango-!"

Hands covered mouths as the rest watched in disbelief, tears streaming, throats catching on unsaid and terrifying words.

"Xisuma!" Someone yelled. They looked up, watching as a figure submerged and joined them in the fog. "Holy shit! X!" She yelled, rushing over to Martyn and assisting him.

Gem confronted the admin with a pale face. "X-"

"Help Martyn," he instructed, then focused on removing the glass from Ren's face. Gem nodded, applying pressure to Martyn's leg while she whispered words of comfort.

"Don't worry, Martyn," she reassured, pulling a hand away and taking out a potion from her inventory. The swirling pinkish-purple liquid spilt over the leg before she held his head back to help him drink. It probably tasted horrible, given how hastily they had prepared it prior to leaving to search for Mumbo. Martyn's face pinched, but he kept drinking as the flesh slowly regenerated around the spike. "I'm going to have to-"

"Just do it!" He snapped back, biting down on his arm to stifle a scream. The demigod nodded and grabbed the spike, ripping it through his flesh to allow the wound to slowly heal thoroughly.

"Shit!" Martyn choked out as Gem slathered more over the cut.

"Where's the full heal-"

"In Pearl's bag," Gem admitted, her face paled from the sight of blood.

"Where are they?" Xisuma asked as Ren tried to get up and go towards the limp frame that belonged to Tango.

"Top of the mountain." She pointed up. "Xelqua is keeping the two away from seeing-"

"All this shit." Martyn cut in, looking at Xisuma. "We look like shit."

"Xisuma," Ren trembled from off to the side. "X- he's... his flame-"

The three looked over to the whimpering wolf, face paled and expressions drawn blank. "Tango," Gem whispered, stepping over to the limp man lying weakly against Ren.

Gem pushed away the bloodied blonde hair, seeing a dark stain over his forehead where flesh and insides met fresh air. "Tango," she repeated, taking him out of Ren's clutch and holding him close. "Wake up. Please." Despite her pleading, he didn't wake, only rolling doll-like in her arms.

Holding her head to his chest, she made a small gasp. "He's... I feel a heartbeat!" She gasped, looking at X's relieved but still terrified face. "He's alive!" She cried, a smile opening on her face.

"We need to keep it that way," Xisuma instructed, crawling over and holding Tango's cold hand in his own.

The crunching of shovels against dirt was the only thing they heard for a while. Weak arms dug away at the soil, hoping for something to happen, something to give them a glimmer of hope.

Eventually, the sound of metal colliding with metal clattered out, drawing the others' attention to Grian's spot. The human kneeled down, wiping away the dirt from the top of a messily formed metal... roof?

"Holy shit!" Grian gasped, beginning to dig again, aided by his siblings. The dirt and roots were slashed and cleared away to reveal a large metal box. The human took out his sword, stabbing it into the roof. Metal bent, and a small shriek emanated from inside.

"Mumbo?" Grian asked, taking it out and peering into the slit. It was pitch dark inside, apart from the light filtering from the gash in the box he'd made. From inside, a figure shifted and hobbled over into the beam of light.

"Guys?"

"Mumbo!" The human gasped, taking his sword and ripping a larger hole. "You okay, buddy?"

"Holy shit, you guys found me!" The hybrid cried out, as the light continued to seep inside. "I'm okay! A bit hungry, tired, lonely- but fine!"

They clasped hands as Grian pulled him up off his feet. With an unnoticeable strength you would not have guessed he could muster, Grian yanked the man out and onto his feet with one hand.

"Holy shit! We've been looking for you!"

"Gr- Xelqua? You guys found me? How?"

"Pearl followed your aura," Grian smiled, giving the taller man a big hug.

"W- where is everyone else?"

"We split up. Gem was with us, but just left because she saw something."

"You split up?! Isn't that the first rule on what not to do?!"

"We had to! You were missing, the Hermits were worried, and we needed to cover as much ground as possible."

"And isn't that what you've done, Mumbo?" Jimmy retaliated, frowning playfully.

"Holy shit, yeah! That's when you went missing!" Grian let out an exasperated scoff. "You spoon!"

"Heh, that's strangely not the first time I've been called that," Mumbo chuckled nervously, earning a small shove from the golden blonde.

"Well technically, since we are in the past, it is actually the first time you've been called that."

"You need some food, Mumbo?" Pearl asked, opening her satchel. The smell of slightly stale bread, musty and odd-smelling potions, and metal wafted out. She pulled out a loaf of bread and passed it to the taller with a lopsided smile.

"Actually, yeah. I might have to eat it slow though, since my shapeshifting-"

"What?" Jimmy asked with a tilt of his head.

"Well, my shapeshifting can get overridden by certain foods and senses. In the eighth Hermitcraft world, I became a potato man, a carrot man, a pork- then I might have harvested half of Gr- my friend's soul to become human again but forgot he wasn't really human-" he paused, noticing the teens' reactions.

"But it's all fine now!" he reassured, causing Grian to take a step back and examine him.

"You are unnaturally tall. Is your friend-"

"No, he's tiny. I'm just tall in this form." Mumbo said, a glint in his eye as he looked at Grian.

"Okay," Pearl sighed. "Aside from talking about harvesting souls, what's our plan of action? We are forbidden to go down the cliffside per Xelqua's orders, and I'm not going in those caves again, so what do we do?"

"We can wait for a message. Martyn can tell us on behalf of Gem if it's okay to go back. We've found you, Mumbo, so we can head back to spawn." Grian decided, the rest agreeing instantly. "While we wait, Mumbo?"

"Yeah?"

"Can ya tell us stories of Hermitcraft?" he asked, before Mumbo plonked down on the grass, followed by the teens, and began talking away. Not a care in the world, judging by the awe in his voice.

While the moustachioed man spoke about redstone and a weird living base, Grian's mind wavered into his own thoughts- ones that concerned far more pressing matters, ones that decided the fate of many lives.

"Martyn," Xisuma began, squeezing Tango's hand and keeping his fingers where the Netherborn's pulse was slowly beating. "I need you to message Xelqua. Tell him we are alive but need to get Tango to spawn as soon as possible."

"Of course," Martyn nodded, pulling out his communicator and typing away at the screen.

<InTheLittleWood> Gri we're all alive don't worry

<InTheLittleWood> but we need to get to spawn asap

<InTheLittleWood> me and Xisuma cant walk and Tango is unconscious and dying

Martyn read the messages out loud before his com buzzed twice and caused him to gasp.

"What's wrong?" Xisuma quickly asked.

"They found Mumbo!" The elf grinned in relief, his gaze darting at the others. Ren gave a weak and wobbly smile, before wincing as Gem plucked out another shard of glass.

"That's great. More people to carry you guys," Gem said, sounding slightly peeved, but what she said was certainly true. They needed all the help possible at their disposal. Turning back to the wolf, she spoke in a firm tone, "Ren, I need you to try to stand fully." She supported him under the arms as he weakly lifted himself onto his hind legs.

"You won't be able to carry anyone, but you can still make it back to spawn on your own legs," Martyn told him, looking at his own leg. When the flesh had been regrowing, Gem had ripped apart his trouser leg at the higher thigh to avoid any fabric getting trapped in the healing wound. She was literally saving their lives, keeping them all alive. "How are we all getting back?"

"That's not something you need to worry about." They heard someone say, drawing their attention to the base of the mountain.

"Mumbo!" Xisuma cried happily, wincing at the extreme movement but still smiling. It all hurt anyway. Xelqua got straight to business, setting the injured into the others' arms; Martyn was being supported by Pearl and Jimmy, limping on his one good leg. Mumbo and Gem carried the unconscious Tango in a duo-bridal style, and Xelqua was left to carry Xisuma. 

"Are you sure you can carry me?" Xisuma asked, his voice laced with worry while he gazed at the younger admin's short build.

"Of course I can."

"I probably weigh over twice your weight-" Xisuma continued stressing before being hauled off the bloody grass in one swoop.

"How strong are you?!" Xisuma asked, wincing as Grian's arms brushed his legs. "I'm like twice your height and weight!"

"I'm not that short! I've still got growing to do!" Xelqua huffed as he settled X comfortably in his arms. Mumbo coughed a little, but aside from that, no one took him up on the challenge, especially the Evolutioners, who seemed terrified to argue.

"Mumbo, where were you?" Xisuma asked, the other members of his team nodding in agreement.

"Under a fruit tree," the ravenette replied, as Tango slumped over his arm, almost falling. "They had to dig me out."

"I'm so glad you are okay, Mumbo," Gem said with a relieved smile, helping him reposition Tango properly.

Xelqua nodded. "Yeah, we were all worried," he admitted.

"You guys..." Xisuma's gaze swept across the group. "I can't express how grateful I am for you helping up." The Evolutioners nodded, with the exception of Xelqua. The gold blonde gave a shaky sigh and shook his head.

"We stick out for each other here. We are all lost, trying to survive."

"Yeah!" Jimmy and Pearl chorused, while Martyn gave an elvish smile.

Xisuma managed a smile before turning his gaze towards the forest's edge, frowning as he stared into the encroaching fog. Tango... He was almost dead. He could have- maybe there was something he could have done.

At least he wasn't dead. Still, he shouldn't even be worrying about that! They should all be safe on Hermitcraft, a server created to keep everyone safe! They shouldn't be here with the fear of gods and staying stranded with the Evolutioners. Void, the Evolutioners didn't deserve to be here either! The teens and young adults deserved to be on their home servers, with their family and friends!

According to Xelqua (and Taurtis in turn) he never even got to finish high school! Xisuma let out a fluttering sigh. There wasn't anything he could do about it, they were in the past and couldn't help in any way, but a sense of protectiveness washed over him as he looked at the teens. He knew Pearl would join Hermitcraft, Jimmy was safe and would visit sometimes, and Martyn was in the Life games. But Xelqua... Xisuma didn't know him in his own timeline. Yet he felt the same protectiveness over him, just like how he felt for Gem, Mumbo and Tango.

"You doing okay?" The admin asked X, noticing the Voidwalker's distant gaze. "Cause you've been just staring into nothingness for most of the trek back."

"Y- yeah, I'm fine," X replied with a weak smile.

"Good, because we are almost back to spawn." Xisuma looked forward and saw the rolling hills around the small town they'd set up.

"Taurtis and BigB are waiting with healing potions and stretchers down there," Pearl announced, reading off of her communicator. "Let's hurry to get them inside, it's about to rain." They all nodded, doing their best to descend the hill quickly.

"BigB!" Ren called out, limping over to him. Together, Ren, Taurtis, and BigB hefted the stretchers, quickly carrying them to where the group waited. Tango and Xisuma were laid down carefully on the stretchers, while Martyn leaned heavily on Jimmy and Pearl for support.

"Don't worry, X-eye-suma! We'll get you both patched up," Taurtis said with a smile, pulling out a couple of potions.

"But first... Your body's still high on adrenaline, and we need to get you as calm as possible, so..." He showed Xisuma a thick grey potion. "It's a weakness potion. It's not strong enough to do damage, but it'll ease your fight-or-flight response and put you to sleep."

"Just do it," Xisuma muttered, legs burning with each passing second. The last thing he saw before succumbing to unconsciousness was a flurry of people around Tango's stretcher. Then, a figure stood between them two and everything went black.

"What happened to them?" BigB asked Grian as the human settled Martyn on a medical bed after dealing with Tango and Xisuma. Ren was kicking his feet under his chair, trying to distract himself from the pain as Timmy picked the glass out of his skin. "Ren and I heard something when we were in the fog, then-"

"I smelled void!" The wolf chipped in from his perch on the chair. "And then we ran and fell off a cliff."

"A cliff?!" Grian gasped, eyes wide.

"No wonder you all looked so fucked up."

"At least it isn't the top of a building, right-"

"Taurtis! Not now," the admin snapped, his mind flashing back to that cold night. His stomach dropped as the blur of pink hair stepped off the edge and to the ground-

"Sorry, Xellie," the headphone wearer muttered, his face red. "I didn't mean-"

"It's fine, dude." Grian smiled weakly, before feeding Martyn a full heal and watching as the skin latched itself to the rips and stitched over. "You okay, Martyn?"

"Yeah, I am now."

"I wouldn't walk for another couple of days, just to make sure since these potions aren't the best," BigB advised before heading over to the tent where Tango was.

Martyn lay down on the bed, sighing into the cold air. "The update is soon," he muttered.

"How are we going to do the tricks and puzzles in this state?"

"We will somehow!" Grian reassured, before looking up at Mumbo. "Just wanted to make sure. You doing completely fine? No cuts or scrapes?"

"None, " Mumbo reassured, side-hugging the human. "It's okay. I'm okay."

"I'm just being thorough. Even Jimmy and Gem are being assigned to rest after they've patched the others up, just in case. Gem fainted and needed to fully regain her sun reserves, and Jimmy was sick, so he needed to eat and sleep it away."

"You also need some rest," the taller said, a weak lopsided smile on his face. "You've been through a lot too."

"I'm the admin of this server. I need to make sure everyone else is okay before me." Grian said, growing as he looked out the window and onto the dark sky and rolling fog that drew ever closer with each night.

Chapter Text

Things were going badly. Like, really badly.

Xisuma lay in his bed, watching the uninjured players run around trying to fix everyone up. Gem was currently tending to him, talking about the others' recoveries as she spoon-fed him a healing potion. Apparently, in this update, most potions were so weak that the one they'd used on Martyn yesterday was the most powerful one they could brew up... and it didn't even work fully. X wondered how far back they really were.

"Ren is doing really well now. The cuts on his face are fully healed, and he's helping us all fix up the others. I've gotten off bedrest, but Xelqua was fussing about how Jimmy should stay in bed. I can't tell if it's because he's genuinely worried about him, trying to mess with him, or doesn't want to stress out the boy with the injuries," Gem said to her admin, who ate away at the potion with a dulled sickness from the taste. "And... Tango's doing okay. He's still unconscious, but he's stable. Xelqua said he received head trauma from the fall and lots of broken bones."

Xisuma stiffened at the mention of the Netherborn. He was alive, but in so much pain. So much had happened to him. He wanted to curse the gods, but he knew they would only find satisfaction in his anger.

"X... I'm sorry we weren't there to help you sooner. If we'd decided to intervene... Maybe Pearl could have healed you guys, or I could have tried harder to teleport everyone out."

"Don't blame yourself, Gem," Xisuma cut in, putting a hand on her arm. "You couldn't have done anything to stop this. You would've just fallen with us and wouldn't have been able to help. You're a huge reason why we found Mumbo."

"Y- yeah. You're right," the ginger nodded, hugging him lightly without agitating his wounds.

"Of course I am, Gem," Xisuma chuckled before looking to his side at the completely shattered helmet. It had lasted him so long... but with the broken mechanics of this update and Evo in general, the helmet had taken a beating and gotten destroyed.

"We can get you another helmet," Gem suggested, smiling at him sadly. "Once we get back to Hermitcraft."

"Yeah, once we get back to Hermitcraft," X nodded before Gem got up and walked away to talk to the Evolutioners.

"He's almost fully recovered," she said lightly, facing Xelqua.

The blonde nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Gem. You really have been helping us well."

"Anything for you guys, Xelqua. I'm just- I'm just glad they are getting better quickly."

"I wouldn't call this a speedy recovery," the human chuckled lightly, though with a hint of strain. "But it's certainly better than them not healing at all."

"Very true," she nodded, picking up a small cup of water and sipping from the edge of the rim. "Do you think Tango will be okay?" She asked, looking away from the admin and into the swirling water she was drinking.

"He has to be," the blonde muttered, glancing from the ginger to the draped curtains that concealed the view of Tango from anyone walking in.

"I hope you're right. Hermitcraft... wouldn't be the same without him."

"Hermitcraft seems like a nice place. I've... never really been in a server or world that has ever been nice or comforting," Xelqua said, holding up a small glass vial and peering into the silver liquid in it. "My high school server was psychotic, mainly because of my ex-friend on there. Me and Taurtis got whisked away here instead."

"I've... had my fair share of bad servers," Gem whispered into the curtain-walled room. "It was a while ago, but I needed a break from... everything. Being a demigod of the sun was tiring, and I needed to relax, so I joined a roleplay server as a wizard."

"A wizard?" Xelqua asked with a small laugh.

"Y-yeah," Gem replied, her own laugh warm and small as she recalled the past memories. "I can barely remember the spells or anything anymore; it was thousands of years ago. But that server... it was attacked."

She stared down the rugged cliffside at the fire that blazed below. Shrapnel and fiery chunks of debris littered the rooftops of the crystal cliffs, setting the houses ablaze and igniting the grass and trees. The demigod let out a whimper, holding her joke-twin's hand as he tried to pull her away from the image of her handiwork painted by fire.

"Gem," he began to stutter, before she squeezed his hand tighter and yanked him down towards her burning empire.

"We have to get to Violet!" She hollered through tears.

"The baby dragon?" he asked, as the wizard summoned her staff and raised it up to the balcony of her tower in spirals of deep purple magic. The bundle of void black scales was cowering in the corner, eyes watering from fear as the only home it had ever known went up in flames.

"Vi!" Gem cried, running over to it with swaying robes. "Come on, sweetie! Mommy and Uncle are here," she cooed, trying to coax the dragon into comfort.

"Rawrr" the dragon growled lightly as Gem scooped them up and approached her twin.

"We need to get out of here. Now," she said, wrapping the dragon in her green draping coat. Before the two had any time to act on the premise, the tower floor began to shake, and then they fell. The bricks broke apart below as the tower crumbled around them, sending them to their eventual deaths.

She couldn't teleport them, even if she wanted to. The wizard was caught too off guard, and the void magic dripping from the dragon dulled her own demigod magic. The ground came ever closer, and both of the players squeezed their eyes shut, seeing only the vast darkness of their eyelids before-

The impact never came. Instead, a warm bubbling swirled inside and around them, enveloping them in gold and blowing their clothes around as the floor lay a meter below.

"What?" Gem whispered into the golden strands of light that kept them afloat. The two players looked up from their hovering positions, only to be faced with a blaze of golden light.

"Holy shit," her brother gasped, as the sight of a large being flew above them. "It's a-"

"Watcher," Gem finished, gazing into its changing form. One second it had six arms, then two, then eight wings wrapped around its body before morphing back into nothingness and leaving its figure exposed.

The two arms it currently had were pushed outwards and pointed to the three as they hovered in the same golden light that wrapped the god. The trio were slowly lowered onto the dusty concrete-layered grass before Violet scampered away behind the demigod's back and buried itself into her cloak.

"Watcher of the Sun," Gem said, bowing low into the grass. "We give our thanks for saving our lives," she whispered.

"ᒲ𝙹∷ℸ ̣ ᔑꖎᓭ" it began to speak, but its words were carried away by the wind, and the trio couldn't hear what it was saying. Its mouth moved behind the three ear-like wings presumed to be its head, while its wings beat above them. It exuded a presence of otherworldly power, something Gem had never felt before except when she was in the sun-

But this god was like a whole sun in itself, with eyes flowing and entwining around its face and body in rings. It looked like everything and nothing at once.

"⊣𝙹𝙹↸ʖ||ᒷ ⊣ᒷᒲ╎リ╎." it finished, before vanishing in an instant, flying away over the distant hill. Then darkness enclosed Gem's vision as a heaviness set in around her. At some point, they had gotten onto a dragon and flown far away, but it was all a blur.

"A Watcher saved you?" Grian muttered aloud, shaking slightly. That couldn't be right! Watchers were heartless beings, not caring for mortal lives and playing with them for entertainment. A Watcher wouldn't save a player!

"I- I guess you're right. I just realized that," Gem said lightly, looking at the admin. "It's strange."

"It's very strange! The Watcher of the Sun-"

"Hill of the Sun," Gem elaborated. "It's a common name or relation for that specific one. After ... that incident, I looked into it more. I can't believe I totally forgot about that."

"Yeah..." Grian whispered softly. "I- Holy shit," the teen stumbled, a glass vial had long since shattered on the ground, its contents spilling out unnoticed.

He slumped onto the stool, his head heavy in his hands as a headache began to throb at his temples. A Watcher... saved Gem. Or was it trying to protect the baby dragon? And she was saved in turn. But... why did it speak specifically to them? What was even happening?

Apparently, there is, or was, a Watcher out there kind enough to save people instead of tormenting them... That didn't make any sense! Why couldn't the Watcher intervene for us, for the Evolutioners?

"You okay, Xelqua?" Gem asked, leaning slightly over to him.

"Hm? Yeah, just... it's interesting information," he mumbled, his attention shifting away from Gem.

"Yeah! I can't believe I forgot about that!" She smiled at him. "Thanks for helping me remember. After thousands of years alive, it gets hard to remember everything."

"Yeah," Grian replied before watching Gem's shoes walk away as she left the building. As he sat alone, Grian's mind whirred as the story fully sunk in.

Hill of the Sun... He recognized that from somewhere. Maybe he'd seen a message personally from that specific Watcher before? But that didn't make too much sense... If that Watcher was kind, why hadn't they helped the Evolutioners?

"Hey... um... G- Xelqua," someone muttered from the still-open doorway. What now? Another revelation about how the evil gods aren't actually evil? The human looked up to see the moustached man at the door, clinging to the frame with trembling hands. "I think we need to talk."

The two stood at spawn, the place Mumbo requested for them to talk. It seemed like a strange choice, especially if he wanted it to be a private conversation, but Grian shrugged it off as they walked into the centre of the Watcher's symbol. The Watcher statue tower over their heads, casting a deep shadow.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" the blonde asked, looking up at the shapeshifter. Now, in the bright sunlight, he could see how dishevelled Mumbo looked. His hair was messy and ragged, his eyes deep and dark, and his cheeks shallow. He looked like shit. Mumbo had reassured them he was okay after they rescued him, so what was wrong?

"Xelqua... I know."

"Know what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked into Mumbo's red ones. "What are you talking about?"

"I know your name isn't actually Xelqua," the taller blurted out, cutting off the shorter.

"What?" Grian's heart dropped into his stomach, incredulous at Mumbo's statement. "What do you mean?"

Instantly regretting the question, he got his answer immediately.

"I know your name isn't Xelqua. It's Grian."

"Mumbo-" the shorter began to stutter, as Mumbo shook his head.

"I know I'm right, Grian." The second he said the name and saw the human's reaction to it, he knew.

"H- how?" was all that Xel- Grian asked.

"When I walked away from you, Pearl, and Jimmy in the forest before I got kidnapped. In this form, I have better hearing, and Pearl whispered it to you. Or well, she said 'Griba', and Grian is the only one who she called that."

"Fuck..." the human groaned, making Mumbo rethink if he's got it right... The two were very different, after all.

For one, the Grian he knew had wings. The Grian he knew was loud and funny, making jokes and pranks for everyone, flying around the server as a chicken and egging houses. And the teen in front of him... He was strict and assertive, making sure everyone was okay and prioritizing everyone before him. Yeah, present-Grian was too, but he did so in his own jokey manner.

Also, the teen swore. He had probably heard Grian swear a total of 5 times in all the years he's known him. And this guy... swore. He swore a lot. But it was him, and the teen seemed to realize the charade was over.

"I- I can't believe it! I actually escape!" Tears began streaming down his face before he paused and looked up to face Mumbo. His expression was wide-eyed and fearful.

"Don't- Don't tell the Hermits," Xe- Grian pleaded.

"I won't lie to them."

"Then don't! Just... don't tell them unless they ask," the blonde begged, sliding his feet away against the bedrock symbol below.

"I won't. Promise," Mumbo reassured, holding the teen's arm in his hand. "I mean, how are they even going to guess this kind of secret?"

"I don't know. But you figured it out. I need to speak to Pearl about that, and so it's possible anyone else can figure it out."

Darkness invaded his lungs, suffocating him. His mask- where was it? It was supposed to filter his air. His throat convulsed with chokes as the darkness crept inside. Xisuma doubled over in pain, his lungs struggling to expel the toxins. The ground gave way beneath him, hurtling him into the abyss of the void.

Years. It felt like years had passed as he stared into the void's depths. Nothingness greeted the coughs that died in his throat, leaving only cold breaths in their wake.

"Xisuma?" A voice called from the darkness.

"T- Tango?" he looked up, seeing the glowing of the Netherborn's hair lighting up the darkness.

"Xisuma!" Tango's face creased in a smile as he dived down and wrapped the admin in a hug.

"You- You're up! I thought for certain... I was so worried! You almost died, and I couldn't do anything! I didn't manage to save you!" Tears poured down his cheeks as they embraced.

"Don't worry, Xisuma," Tango whispered, his hair warming Xisuma as they knelt in the dark void. "You are right. You didn't save me."

"What- ack!" Sharp nails dug into his skin as Tango's body moved abruptly.

"You didn't do anything," he spat, throwing Xisuma away, causing him to cower on the dark floor. "You let me almost die. Now I'm not going to wake up."

"N- No! You will!" Tears began falling for a different reason as he held the bloodied claw marks. "You will! Xelq-"

"How can you trust that human? He's clearly not telling you something. And you still believe what he says about me?" The dark form that resembled Tango was now standing, stepping haughtily over to Xisuma. "You are a fool, Xisuma."

He kicked at X's head, causing him to fall to the floor even further, the area he was lying on lower than the one Tango was on. Blood began streaming down his face, scars and cuts opening and bloodying his tear-stained face. Tango huffed at the Voidwalker. "Pathetic. You can't even own up to your bullshit."

"Tango-"

"Shut up! You don't get to talk, filth! You are lesser, a worthless being, compared to us." The form of changing shadow knelt down, holding Xisuma's bloodied and wounded face in its hands, breathing into his cuts. Disdain filled its void-covered face.

"You are a fool, believing you can trust those Evolutioners." Xisuma stared into the swirling face, being met with a thousand eyes staring back at him.

"Goodbye, Xisuma," it hissed, throwing X back onto the ground to drown in his own blood as he stared blankly into the void.

Xisuma woke in a cold sweat. For a moment, the air around him felt suffocating, and his vision was plagued with dark spots as he looked around. His T-shirt clung to his sweaty skin, and he trembled to move, to escape. Where was he? The room was too bright, and the empty silence was too loud.

"Xisuma?" a voice asked, suddenly sending him back into the void. His breathing felt stuffy as the cold sensation of blood dripped into his eyes and mouth, turning his taste to iron and warmth. The person stood above him, their claws still ripping into his flesh as he tried to get away-

Run away!

Run!

Escape!

His brain yelled as the person tried to speak over his roaring thoughts.

"Xisuma! Breathe! Slowly, with me," the void figure spoke, lightening its grip and placing its hands over his arms comfortingly.

"In for 4...." He followed along with their instructions. "Hold... Out for 8." They repeated this cycle of breathing and holding until the figure disintegrated to reveal Pearl a couple of inches from his face.

"Are you okay now?" she asked him, receiving a small nod and sigh in response. "Good... good... lie back down, X, you aren't well enough to sit upright."

He followed her instructions, his breathing still jittery and his chest feeling congested. "What-"

"You had a nightmare, don't worry," she reassured, giving him a slight hug before getting up from the edge of the bed and picking up his water glass. "I'm gonna get you some fresh water, then a top-up of healing potions."

"Thanks... Pearl," he croaked.

"Anything, X," she assured him before leaving him alone in the curtained room, allowing him to mull over his thoughts. He just lay there, his breathing slowing and his vision becoming less vibrant and jarring, feeling more... normal. Well, as normal as he could feel with his legs still messed up and his chest tight from either the fall or the panic. He couldn't tell.

"I'm back!" Pearl announced, walking through the curtains and approaching him with two glasses: one filled with clear water, and the other halfway filled with a ruby liquid.

"B just brewed this up. Hopefully it's strong enough to somewhat fix your legs. Otherwise, I'll jump him and enact my revenge for lying," she said, setting the two glasses down and lifting the first to his lips for him to drink. The water was cold and refreshing, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Now, I'll feed you the healing. I promise it will taste horrible, so don't kill me if you hate it," Pearl warned him, before tipping his head back and letting the liquid pour down his throat. The taste was disgusting, a mixture of grainy dust and sickly sweetness.

"It should be kicking in in about 5 minutes. We sacrificed time efficiency for usage efficiency," the multicolored-haired girl told him, as the main door opened and the sound of two heavy footsteps walked in.

"I'll see who it is," she told him as she walked out and into the main room. Xisuma strained to hear any part of the conversation, but once again his body failed him, and only hints could be made out.

"Mu-bo! Xe--ua! How --- y-u guys?"

"G---, -ood. Pearl..." There was a long pause. "---bo kn--s."

"What?"

"He kn--- a---- -- --ing Grian"

"H-w?"

"You. -- heard yo- s-- -- n--e."

"Sh--! I'm -- sorry!"

"It's f---. Is Xis--- aw--e?"

"Yeah," the curtains around him shuffled as the three entered the sectioned-off partition.

"Xisuma!" Mumbo cried, a stretched smile on his lips.

"Mumbo, Xelqua, nice of you to visit my hospital room," Xisuma said cheerily, sitting as far up as he could (or as much as Pearl would allow him before shoving him back down), and looked at the shortest person in the room.

Xelqua was standing slightly hunched, his eyes darting nervously around the room. Flickers of his dream came back to him.

How can you trust that human? He's clearly not telling you something.

Xisuma frowned and turned to Mumbo. The taller man looked sickly, but it was to be expected after everything that's happened.

"I'm glad you are okay, X," Mumbo sighed happily, hugging him before turning to Xelqua. "Right, Xelqua?"

"Hu-? Y- yeah," the human nodded, stepping towards Xisuma with a forced smile. Xisuma plastered a smile over his own, looking the blonde dead centre in his blue eyes.

"Shit, X, you look real bad. You want more water?" Pearl asked, scuttling over to his bedside and picking up his glass.

"I can get it myself-

"Nonsense. Let me help you!" she said, less of a request and more of a demand.

That was one thing the found-siblings had in common; despite their pleasant exteriors, they could be demanding and quite intimidating. She assisted him with the drink, guiding his head away from examining the other admin and towards the ceiling. Pearl eventually released his head and turned to put the glass away.

A door opened from outside, and Martyn walked in. His hair was scraggy, and he looked slightly pained to be putting weight on his leg.

"Gr- Oh Xisuma, you're up. Hey, guys," he greeted, then turned to his admin. "Xelqua, how's the riddle going?"

"Riddle?" Mumbo wondered aloud.

"For the... 'you-know-what'! Once we get through the End portal, we are out, right?" Pearl said, turning to Xelqua, who began to open his mouth before Xisuma interrupted.

"Wait, do you guys know how the End works?"

"Um, no... It's a new update. Wasn't even out when we weren't in Evo," Martyn said, leaning against the solid wall.

"Wait- what?!" Both Mumbo and Xisuma gasped.

"Y- yeah. I mean, it's the newest update since none of us know about it. That's why we said you can escape after going through the portal- isn't that it?"

"Holy shit. That's- not good," Mumbo muttered, beginning to walk in circles.

"Are you definitely sure? Like, the items weren't just blocked in your previous worlds?" Xisuma faced Xelqua, who shrugged.

"I don't know! Every block was blocked in my high school world." All of them instantly faced Martyn.

"None were blocked in me and Netty's previous world," Martyn said slowly. "None. The most recent update we experienced was the last one. And this one was called the End, so we presumed... Why is it so shocking that that's the newest update?"

"Because..." Xisuma looked around the room at the Evolutioners, Mumbo also cringing at the unsaid answer. Xisuma let out a breath before the words were uttered.

"The End update is tens of thousands of years old."