Xelqua Rising || The Lost One AU

2.The Downside Up

Re-edited 10/20/23.

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Grian wasn't sure how much time had passed when he opened his eyes once more. When he had departed from his friends, he had not been in the Overworld, but the End. The Overworld was unique in that it had a cycle, always in motion, always changing. The sky above would fill up with light and gradually it would disappear, only for it to come back again. Players called these 'day' and 'night' respectively and like any other Overworld creature, had come to depend on this cycle. They had even gone as far as to create rituals based on the ever changing lighting.

Other dimensions were different, though - they never changed. Hels, otherwise known as the True Nether, was always dark, only ever illuminated by fire and lava. The True End neither had light nor darkness; a paradox in itself. The Downside Up, the dimension where the Watchers resided, always had light.

Grian sat up, groaning just a bit. His body ached a bit from sleeping on the cold, hard floor. He went to look through the window to see what time of day it was, only to remember that he did not have one. Even if he did, it would not be helpful as the lighting never changed. As he began to become more alert, his stomach growled, telling him that he hadn't eaten in a long time. Come to think of it, he could use a good drink of water as well as a bathroom break. His human needs all tugged at him, none of them too urgent, but all making themselves known regardless.

Just then, the door opened and a Watcher walked in. For a moment, Grian couldn't tell if it was the same one as before. They all looked pretty similar since they had covered most of their bodies. He presumed not since she had said that only men were allowed in the west wing of the temple. That would imply that this Watcher was male, but he couldn't tell by looking at him. There was that, and more curiously, this one seemed to not have a halo at all. All the others seemed to, each one a shade of purple with its own design, but for whatever reason, this one did not seem to have one.

The Watcher must have been watching Grian and saw that he had just awoken from his slumber. "Greetings." He said, trying to put enthusiasm in his voice, but Grian saw right through it. "You seem to have slept well, once you had no tears left to shed."

Grian cringed slightly. He knew he was being watched-- he always was, but it just felt different for someone to just so casually mention a rather intimate and raw moment of his out loud. Players were different; if one spotted another crying, they would either attempt to comfort the other or pretend that they never saw anything, giving the other privacy. He swallowed, trying to push down the bit of shame of being seen so weak, so vulnerable, so... human, to an audience that didn't care.

The Watcher continued, seemingly not noticing or caring about Grian's reaction to his words. "Today, I will give you a tour around the temple and start teaching you our ways. We wish to no longer have you illiterate and unable to speak before we transform you into a Watcher." He spoke as if Grian was unable to comprehend any language at all, even his own. They truly did see him as an animal that needed to be somehow trained to not only behave properly, but also come to the same level of intelligence as his trainers.

"I am fluent in English," Grian countered with an edge to his voice as he stood up, "And so are you." What was the point of learning a whole new language if everyone was fully fluent in another? He wasn't so much bothered by having to learn a new language, but rather that the Watcher had spoken as though he was so stupid that he could not even understand one.

The creature only shook his head. "Boy, this is a holy place. We are only to speak what we call the Language of the Higher Species, the very first tongue to ever exist. Since you are unable to understand Language, the Great Ones have allowed us to communicate in English when we wish to exchange knowledge with you. Otherwise, it is still forbidden." Boy. As if he was just supposed to know anything about this place without being told. He found himself inching away just a bit from the other.