Elusion (HermitcraftxEmpiresAU)

Freedom - Epilogue

Etho

"Are you ready?" Grian looked up at me, a soft smile on his face.

"Yes" I nodded, "ready as ever".

"Thank you Etho" Tango murmured, "I can finally go back to my body".

"I'm just glad you're alive" I thought back. I glanced down at the ground where Tango's body lay motionless. Pearl had returned to her own body, leaving Tango empty except for Negativity, whom Grian had mentally restrained. It was time to finally return Tango to his own body and rejoin Negativity and Positivity together once again.

"Okay, this should only take a moment" Grian said softly. Grian raised his hands to my face. He closed his eyes with a sigh before his body went limp. I rushed to catch him so he didn't hit the floor too harshly. As I knelt down, I waited. I felt it when it happened. I'd gotten so used to the slight presence I felt in my mind that I felt completely empty without it. It was like someone had snapped a cord that held me and Tango together.

"It's done" Grian's eyes fluttered open, "let's go watch".

Grian grabbed my hand and I felt my mind drift away. I felt the familiar falling motion as we entered Tango's mind, for what would hopefully be the final time. I stood up the see two figures standing there. One stood in a defensive, standoffish position and the over held a neutral stance. I stayed silent as I watched Positivity calmly walk closer to Negativity.

"It's over, we are one" Positivity walked closer, pressing a hand to Negativity's chest. Then he began to walk into his other half, fusing them together. A loud crack and flash of light appeared. I raised my hand to cover my eyes. When I looked again there was one. Just Tango, once again whole. Tango turned around, spotting me and Grian, he sprinted over. He drew the pair of us into a hug, a broad grin on his face.

"Thank you" he cried, "I can think normally again".

"I'm glad" Grian murmured.

"I'll miss having you in my mind to be honest" I laughed, "it was hard to get bored or lonely with you always there".

"Well, now you'll just have to settle for real me" Tango grinned, "so you better come visit!"

"I will" I said warmly.

"Come on" Grian said softly, "let's go home".

"Yes" we both agreed. Grian reached out his hands, which Tango and I took. I felt myself begin to spin as our minds lifted away. My eyes popped open to see Grian and Tango hauling themselves to their feet. I scrambled up, a grin on my face. Grian and Tango echoed that, all their teeth visible.

"It's really over" Tango breathed, "we can heal". I looked at Grian and Tango, eyes brimming with emotion.

"Yes, it is".

Xisuma

It was over and we were free. We could begin to heal.

Both of the Watchers had been killed and they would never harm anyone ever again. Their reign of terror was over after eons of oppressing everything in the multiverse. Those who were unaware of their existence will continue to be unaware. I felt it surely couldn't be that simple, yet it was. It had now been over a month since it happened and I was still reeling with shock. It had been difficult learning to trust again, but I was managing it. Even people like Katherine and Cleo were warming up to the former traitors.

Ren had spent his days doing the whole server community service, under the guidance of Cleo. Everyone had decided it was best him and Martyn stayed away from each other for a little while, so they could cool down before sorting out whatever they had going on. I had kept a careful eye on Ren, making sure he showed no signs of malice or anger. So far he'd been great, better than ever perhaps. He was smiling a lot, laughing with others. And he didn't even seem to be taking any resentment or jabs to heart. He took it graciously, merely muttering an apology.

I was grateful for the Hermits and Emperors doing their bit to cool the tension. The Emperers were planning to leave soon and go back to their own server, with the promise they'd come visit. I had a feeling we'd be visiting each other very soon. Everyone had formed such strong friendships over the last few months, ones I believed would last a lifetime.

Etho had hardly left Bdub's side since it all happened. I didn't blame him, Etho had nearly lost him. I'd seen Pearl go up to Etho multiple times, trying to start a conversation with him. The first few times he'd cold-shouldered her but lately he seemed to have warmed up. They were all healing in their own time.

I knew the death of the Watchers had lifted an unimaginable weight off Grian's shoulders. But even with them gone, I knew the memories would forever haunt Grian. I suspected there were things he knew and had seen that perhaps no one else would ever know, and probably had no wish to. Grian's past was a lot more twisted and cruel than I'd ever guessed. It filled me with immeasurable guilt that I'd once exiled him. I was glad that was in the past.

Like it all was.

The past.

Yet it still seemed too simple.

????

And so the story of the greatest beings to ever walk the multiverse is coming to an end. The Hermits wouldn't yet realise it, but the demise of the Watchers affected the multiverse in more ways than they knew. Without the Watchers there to pull the strings, many servers were flung off course. Certain events that were predetermined to happen never did. Limited Life will never exist in the way it would have normally, and neither will the hurt and anger that would've been brought with it. The death loop was over.

But the strangest thing of all was how the Watchers death seemed to set off a chain reaction of powerful entities vanishing. Or perhaps it was merely a coincidence, we don't know. No one tried to take their place, for they knew they could never possibly achieve what the Watchers did.
They controlled every server, whether the players were aware of them or not. Those eyes that were inlaid in the code of all servers disappeared, never to spy upon the players ever again.

However, without the Watchers there to feed off of the negative energy, it spiralled out of control. Previously peaceful servers spiralled into chaos, starting all out wars. It was a strange concept. The Watchers were trying to destroy the multiverse, yet at the same time they were the only thing that held it together. They were supposed to be the balance, but they fell into darkness.

Perhaps their creators knew what they were doing, maybe they intended to challenge the players. Or maybe they had no idea what they had done, but were too powerless to stop the fury they had unleashed. But that is a story for another day.

Entities such as Herobrine, Entity 303, Steve and Alex themselves weren't even sure what the Watchers were. They just knew that one day they weren't there and the next day they were. They weren't power hungry like they were, so they let them be. Only if they threatened their homes would they ever fight back, for they had been designed to be neutral players. They were immortal, only sent by Notch to watch over his creation.

But even with the balance thrown off, it would right itself again in time. It always will, for the multiverse has existed forever and is far from fragile. Maybe it's original creator would return and once again take charge, if he is is even still alive.

On the subject of other entities, I'm sure you're wondering who I am? You have no clue? Surely you've figured it out by now?

Oh dear reader, I'm the author. I pull the strings to how every story goes, I get to decide what happens to the characters. The world is mine to control, every single possible path and possibility. I am more powerful than anything else.

Because there are those that Watch, there are those that Listen, and there are those who Create.