The Last Follower

Chapter 4

Even if the way they had met was very strange.

Nonetheless, today had been going pretty well, just enough that Wels had come by recently and whisked Xelqua away under the excuse that they're going to do something exciting. Neither he nor Xisuma knows what it was that Wels is planning, his idea of fun is a very strange thing. For all they know, Wels could be teaching him how to fight, or build or whatever it could be. The brothers just hope that it wasn't something too terrible.

"Hey Exavian?" Said person blinked up at Xisuma, confused. "Yes? Is something the matter?I thought you would be out with the other Hermits to clean up some builds before the seasonal end–" Exavian nearly rambled off, only to stop when he saw how terrible he looked. He was even using the air bubble of shame– something they rarely used unless their mask was damaged or they had forgotten it, but in this case.

Well, Exavian could tell that there was something wrong, so very wrong. Pursing his lips in concern, he moved just enough to leave space for him to sit on the couch, to which he then did. Cradling a freshly made cup of tea, oddly enough, they seem calm despite how nervous they actually were.

Exavian wondered what it was that they could be so nervous about–

"We need to give Xelqua a player name."

Exavian blinked, slowly processing what it was that he had just said, then he deactivated the administration panel he held out during his turn to work on the server codings. "Any particular reason why you think that? I thought the name you gave him was enough?" He questioned, Xisuma just shrugged in response as he carefully drank his cup of tea. It was unusual, Xisuma isn't one for being silent, even for something like this. "Alright Xisuma, what's actually on your mind, you're usually rambling about your hermits or sitting here in a comfortable silence, all I can feel is tension." Exavian commented bluntly, pausing for a second.

"You're also wearing the bubble of shame, oddly enough."

Xisuma just stayed silent, much to Exavian concerns, continuing to drink his tea, until at last, he finally said something.

"You remember how I said that the book I got is what I used to accidentally summon Xelqua?" Exavian blinked, slowly nodding in confusion, prompting Xisuma to continue speaking. "Well, I was looking through it again to see if anything had changed– I..." He stopped, hesitating as he put down his cup of tea and hugged Exavian around the waist. Prompting Exavian to gently rub his head in response.

"I found a journal entry. It was clearly written by Xelqua– I have seen his handwriting after all." Exavian blinks in surprise, yes they both had opted to have Wels teach Xelqua how to write and read in common while they both have chosen to teach him how to write in galactic. Considering, well, he's able to write in Archaic Galactic, much to all of their surprises. "I was reading the entry and well...Apparently, Xelqua had written about their grief of losing their family. Making their final choice to just...seal themselves away in hopes that the pain of losing a family would fade away."

Exavian winces, despite being Xisuma's older brother, he hadn't actually witnessed the cause of his trauma. Due to the fact that he had been with their mother when the whole event had occurred. He still doesn't know what had happened to their father, nor does he even want to ask Xisuma what he had witnessed in regards to the loss of their father anyways.

Didn't help that their mother passed away due to a plague a century afterwards.

"Did reading that entry make you remember...you know?" Exavian hesitantly asked, Xisuma hums quietly in response, it was definitely the case it seems like. With a gentle sigh, Exavian put down his now empty cup of tea and pulled Xisuma into a hug. Comforting him as much as he could, which wasn't much, but he has a feeling that just his presence alone is enough as it is.