When Past Meets the Present

XXIV

Word Count:690

As soon as I landed I immediately saw Alova and the Hermits by Sahara. I was blinded with rage just from the sight of her in person.

"Alova," I spat coldly, completely ignoring the confused Hermits inside. "What do you want with me? Haven't you done enough?"

"I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. Come on, Xely, we're going home." She turned on her heels and marched towards the army. Then she called over her shoulder back at her 'boyfriend'. "And in case you need any encouragement, I'm sure Zuhiknau would be happy to provide some."

"You wouldn't dare-" Zuhiknau squeezed the neck of the redstoner squirming in his arms. Mumbo cried out in pain as the blade in the red-clad man's hand started drawing blood around his vocal cords. "Stop!" I cried, he'd taken too much damage already.

The army began its usual Galactic chant and started working magic into their words to help their leader. "Come home to us, Xelqua. Come back to us."

"Shut up!" I snapped back. "Just shut up, I'm not going back with you!" I shouted this at the top of my lungs and clamped my hands over my ears to try to drown their voices out.

"Come home or we'll kill them all." Alova monotoned as she gestured to the captured Hermits. "You wouldn't want to be the cause of death for another server now would you?"

I stayed silent. I didn't know what to do. If I went with the Watchers they might spare my friends but then they'd use my power to take over the rest of Minecraft. But if I didn't all the Hermits would die and they'd just find another way.

"Well, Xelqua, what is your choice?" She crooned this in English for the entertainment of seeing the Hermits' confusion. And it worked because Scar came up to the very edge of their confinement to ask me the question I knew was coming.

"Wait, you're Xelqua? You're the one that stabbed Mumbo?" I looked down sadly and nodded.

"It wasn't my decision to make. I didn't want to hurt him." Tears were forming in my eyes while I spoke. I looked up at Mumbo and stared him dead in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but you've left me no choice but to use my last resort." I turned my back on my friends, my family, and walked over to Alova and her army who were still waiting for my response.  "Let's go," I told them.

"Wonderful! So glad you made the right choice quickly instead of picking the wrong answer repeatedly until, well, you know. Zuhiknau, dear, I believe you have the right mask for him." Zuhiknau pushed Mumbo to the ground and walked over to them. He pulled out a Watcher mask and put it in Alova's waiting, outstretched hand. The army rearranged their formation so they surrounded us.

"Xelqua, Rank Gold, First year out of the Facility. The council has made a decision. You must wear a mask because you attempted leave and hid an entire server and its inhabitants from their view." The mask in her hand pulsed with magenta magic.

"At least be honest, they want me to put it on is because they're afraid of me. And don't think I stupid enough to believe their old lies about how the 'evil admins stole our servers', you just want to take over Minecraft."

"Just put it on, brat," spat Zuhiknau, the mask only let him speak in Galactic.

"Fine!" I snatched the mask from her hand and slowly lifted it to my face, but then I paused. "What about them?" I glanced back at Sahara where the Hermits were watching in shock and confusion. 

"Just a quick memory alteration and a wipe of anything you've created here. They won't miss you in the slightest."

"Thank you." Again, I began my painful slow act of putting on the mask. The mask was about a centimetre from my face when someone yelled my name from outside the circle.

"Grian, no!"

I'm sorry it's a little short but I'm trying to pace this out a bit.

Cheers,

Isabelle