The Watcher-Prime

Chapter 14

"You've forgotten someone, Xelqua..." Illia stood over her son. Grian felt so small as he gazed up at the pale, distant face of the woman before him. He was but a mere child again. Grian opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Try as he might, Grian was completely mute.

"You've forgotten someone important, son." Illia whispered. A thousand unspoken questions lay at the tip of Grian's tongue. "Remember... remember who it is." Illia faded from view and Grian was falling... falling...

"Mom!?" Grian sat up suddenly in his red bed covers.

"Not quite." Xisuma chuckled. He was standing a few inches away from Grian's bed. He had obviously just been about to wake him up. Rays of morning light shown through ebbing tree branches rustling leaves of the dense taiga trees. The blood rushed to Grian's face.

"I - er - um..." Grian stammered, "I was just... dreaming."

"About your mom?" Xisuma asked. He took Grian's silence as a yes. "Where is she right now? I mean, where does your family live?" Xisuma was keen on finding out where Grian had come from before Hermitcraft. He had just never been able to get much out of the prankster.

"My parents are gone. I don't have any family." Grian said in a toneless way.

"Oh! I - I'm so sorry. I forgot." Xisuma murmured in an awkward tone.

"It's fine." Grian forced a smile.

"Morning Grian!" False skipped over to the two hermits, breaking the awkward silence. Both Grian and Xisuma were incredibly grateful. "Did you sleep well?" False smiled cheerfully.

"Yes." Grian and Xisuma answered at the same time.

"Murgh... mmm-erggh..." Gem moaned as she blearily opened her blazing green eyes.

"Welcome back, sleepy head." False teased.

"Hey!" Gem bolted to her feet, snapping into full on perky mode. "Where we going to next, huh?" Gem cocked her head towards Grian.

"South." Grian answered with no hesitation. He knew his myths, and if Zebdar's descendant was anything like his predecessor Grian had a pretty good idea where he lived. Grian ignored his companions' raised eyebrows and strode past them deftly.

"Grian... I hate to break it to you but I'm down to a stack of rockets." False warned. Grian tched.

"I brought an extra shulker. How many does everyone else have left?" Grian admitted reluctantly,

"I have three stacks." Gem answered, her hesitance clear.

"I have four and a half." Xisuma hung his head.

"Well that's great. I was hoping to save the shulker for a last resort." Grian snorted as he divided another five stacks between the hermits. "Set?" Grian scowled.

"How far are we going to have to fly?" Xisuma's eyes widened. Grian's silence meant everything.

. . .

"Ready to set up camp?" Gem soared beside Grian.

"Not quite... just a little farther." Grian pushed. Gem waited a few minutes before hedging,

"We're going to hit something, there's no moon tonight. We have to set up camp now, Grian."

"Fine." The resignation was clear in Grian's hollow voice. He was starting to regret launching into the expedition so unprepared. They were going to run out of patience or rockets soon. It was just a matter of what run down first.

The sun cascaded a thousand magentas and crimson hues as the foursome landed halfway up a large mountian in a range of stony peaks. Xisuma hollowed out a small cave and they set up halfway in an out of it's mouth. A chilly wind clawed through the canyons and gulfs of the mountain range.