AN: before I get started absolutely massive shout out to KitKatExists for the amazing art work she did which is now currently my profile picture. Go shower them with some love <3
Also massive shout out to That_One_Girl_LOL and Star for their amazing artwork as well! Go check it out in their art book <3
TW: I feel like there should be but I can't think of any, so let me know if you see one. It has a happy-ish ending though :)
(I basically just rewrote this entire story after going back to edit it last night and realizing that I legit didn't remember writing half of it. I'm much happier with it now though :))
Joe POV-
A scream echoed behind me as I twist to see Grian attempting to escape from Tango's grip, giving me flashbacks to the first time we met him. The constant 'who are you' 'where am I' 'who am I' had me in shock.
Grian lost his memory again.
This was not good. Not good at all.
I needed to get in contact with Notch and to give him a report. But what was I supposed to tell him? That this young blond man who could barely remember his own name worked for the watchers?
I reach up to my ear to open my player stats and to transfer myself to the world hub, but Xisuma stopped me before I could, gently laying a hand on my arm. "What are you?"
I look up at him, "you wouldn't quite understand in the time I have."
"Joe. You've transported through the code, somehow knew what Pearl and I were talking about, and brought down the freaking moon!" X seemed extremely concerned as he watched me. Grian was still fighting Tango and Mumbo off to the side, but had calmed down significantly as they told him about his past.
"I'm a listener," I look down at my feet. This was supposed to be top secret, but here I was telling X.
"What?" I glance back up, X's eyes scanning my face through his visor. "What is a listener?"
Right, no one knows about us. I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how to explain it but we were interrupted by Scad jogging over to us. "What on earth happened?"
A couple Hermits chimed in, all just as confused as X began explaining the situation with the Watchers. Most Hermits' were wide eyed by the end while Pearl was once again bawling her eyes out, muttering words like "no again" "anything but this" "I can't take it". Gem was comforting her.
Off to the side, stood Grian. He was shaking slightly as Xisuma told the story. I walked over to him, the sun light of the new world gently hitting my eyes.
"It's all my fault," Grian stuttered and tears welled up in his eyes, "and I don't even remember."
I embraced him and let him cry into my shoulder, watching around me as the Hermits began to disperse. Xisuma has asked everyone to stay close back in case of emergency and before long, people were claiming small plots of land to begin building in.
But Grian just continued to sob. Mumbo and Tango came by often and Scar come over once or twice. But I just stayed with him as he cried and as he fell asleep.
——————
"Joe?" X's voice was soft and as I looked over towards it, I could see him holding a bed. The mattress was lumpy and the blanket small, but as he place the mattress down, I lifted the small blond in my arms into it. It want the best, but better than my arms or the rock floor.
X sat down beside me and in silence, we watched the boy sleep. New worlds always had such a peace to them. A serenity that nothing could beat. And I wanted to revel in it as long as I possibly could before the watchers returned. But I had a job to do, so I opened the communication panel and begin typing a simple note to Notch, the head of Player Security, explaining the situation.
X watched as I pressed send before finally speaking up, "can you tell me now who you are?"
I sighed, and began explaining who I was, why I was chosen and what my job was. X just watched me, occasionally glancing back at Grian or asking clarifying questions.
"So, let me get this straight. You're job is to find watchers by listening to the world?"
"Yes, that how I knew to come to you and Pearl. Something just drove me to go there."
X nods, seeming to understand, "but what about your teleporting powers. Ex told me about those."
I pause for a moment, debating on how much to share. I didn't want to get too deep into my past. I was literally 'of the code' as Notch used to say which is why I was so vital in the Coding sector. I felt the pain of the world when the code breaks and with the help of my glasses, I could read the code in real life without a computer.
So, I just stuck with the basic answer, "I have coding magic. It's similar to an Admin's magic but more focused on keeping the world code safe and not on keeping players safe."
We sat in silence a bit long, the sun beginning to settle behind the horizon as Grian began to stir. I didn't bother paying attention, as Notch responded to me. I skim his answer as he asked if we had any leads on why Grian was like this. I asked the question to Xisuma who sat for a moment, pondering.
"Pearl said something while I was comforting her about Xelqua and a man named Taurtis. Apparently the admin Xelqua, even though he lived in isolation was very fond of Taurtis but they had a falling apart. Within days, the watchers had taken over."
I glance back at Grian, his blond hair basically golden in the setting sun, "does Pearl know what Xelqua looked like?"
"No, I asked her and she said that all she had seen was his blond hair and how it turned golden in the sun."
I glance over at Xisuma, "I think Grian is Xelqua."
"But why would be want to destroy his own server?"
I don't even have time to think of an answer as Grian shoot's up from his makeshift bed. His eyes were wide and blood shot as he glanced around the world. His eyes land on mine and just before his brown eyes turn purple, he mutters one phrase, "they're coming."
Xisuma and I shoot from our seated position on the rock as I desperately find the red alert button. The moment it's pressed, the Hermits begin gathering around us but a cry of fear from behind me caused me to spin towards it in shock.
The sight in front of me was chaos. Utter chaos. I couldn't describe it any other way.
Rocks and dirt and grass were swirling together on a mass of materials, slowly laying upon itself to create a large boulder. I had taken my eyes off of Grian so I watched as he flitted overhead on large purple wings, only to land on top of the newly formed rock.
"Oh, my word. It's happening again." Pearl spat out before choking back a sob. I glanced at her before turning my attention back to the rock and slipping out my glasses. Purple magic began to spin around Grian and within mere seconds, the boulder began to collect items from around it.
It started with a large tree sprouting beneath Grian's feet as he was lifted higher into the air. Copper cogs and metal bits were being the next thing to be drug towards it as if it were a magnet.
I stared is fearful awe for a moment before whipping my glasses onto my face, and focus onto Grian's body, watching the code slip by my vision. His code wasn't the normal numbers, but it wasn't fluctuating like a watcher's code usually was. I had never seen it before, but all the code around him was beginning to corrupt as bedrock began to appear in the air before him, the watcher portal slowly reopening. All sounds of other hermits faded from view as I watched Grian chat, unknown words filling my ears.
I guess it's now or never.
You see, a watcher doesn't just watch. They are patient and wait until just the right moment to strike, right when their enemy is at its weakest.
That's the same with the Listeners. If we just listened, it would be no help, so when worst comes to worst, our job was to talk.
And I could talk, but I just currently didn't know what to say. Grian had lost all his memories again, so I had nothing to build off of.
Unfortunately, I didn't have any more time, so trusting my training and all the practice I had had talking Hermits out of wars or from injuring each other, I teleported myself through the corrupted code and behind Grian. He must have sensed me as his shoulders stiffened, but he didn't stop chanting. I took a moment to regather my thoughts as my body stung from the code's corruption and the magic. My body felt sick around standing in the middle of this infection, but I had to be here.
"Grian!" No response, just chanting and purple magic countered off by my white aura. Testing my theory from early I called out once more, "Xelqua!" This time I saw Grian falter for a moment, but only a moment before the magic swirled faster around me. The leaves of the tree where we stood were ripped off in the storm. My own magic, which I had raised as a protection, whipped at my clothes, draining my energy as it fought off the watcher power.
I didn't have much time as my magic levels depleted terrifyingly quickly. Code magic versus watcher magic was basically like putting an enderman in a pool of water. Every fiber of my being begged to retreat, to flee to another world. But running was not the answer, it couldn't be, they would keep finding us until they ruled us. My connection to the code was almost intimate while watchers would attack it and tear it down and I could let that happen again.
Stealing my breath, I once again opened my mouth, "Xelqua, I am aware that you can hear me. Whatever you remember or don't remember, I want you to ignore that okay? Your memories have been tampered with, but I know you."
"I know you." I repeated. "The fun-loving prankster Grian who started the Civil war and the Turf war. The tag master with epic building skills."
"I know my friends and you are my friend Grian." The watcher magic settled around me slightly, allowing me to take a breath of relief. Grian's shoulders sagged slightly, but he hadn't stopped building the portal yet. I had to keep going.
"Do you want to hurt your friends Grian? Mumbo? He's terrified, just look down there where everyone is standing. Do you want to hurt Scar? X? Bdubs? Doc? Tango? Pearl? Me?" Then something came to my mind, something Pearl had told X earlier, "would you want to hurt Taurtis?"
As that word slipped my lips, Grian slumped to his knees, the magic dying out almost instantly. I walked carefully towards him as he looked up at me, his hair wild from the magic hurricane as tears formed in his eyes. "I miss Taurits. He could control me."
I feel my face scrunch up confused, but nod anyways, as I bend to wrap Grian into a warm hug. Only a moment later though, the sound of splitting code hit my heart, the proximity of the destruction and my sensitivity to it had nearly knocked me unconscious.
The watchers had made it and two were stepping from the portal, scanning the group that had gathered. Their code was so jumbled and broken, that just looking at them through my glasses gave me a headache. One nodded at the other before more watchers streamed out of the glitched and broken portal.
Grian curled up into me as the watchers spread out around the world, dragging their corrupt code with them. All the Hermits below the boulder, expect Xisuma had returned to the Hub as X was calling for us.
But Grian wouldn't move. He clutched to my shirt and shook violently in my arms muttering how it's all his fault and how they were going to take him away again. I gently rubbed his back and tried to tell him it was okay, but from the look in X's eyes that I could see from here, it was not okay.
Hermitcraft was over.
The thought sunk deep into my bones where my body was slowly burning up from the broken code. I couldn't help but muse it over and over while Grian whimpered. He was calling a name but I couldn't hear him from my own thoughts.
I clenched my jaw as I realized that I was also going into a panic. I had to stay strong for Grian so I focused on his body and his words as he muttered one thing over and over again. "Taurtis."
Then I remember what he said only moments before, 'Taurtis can control me.'
I quickly pull up my communication and type a short message to Notch - 'We need Taurtis. Now'
I received no response, and the minutes continued ticking by. Grian had settled slightly in my arms, but the watchers continued to flood from the portal. The sky has turned a dark purple as end stone slithered through the world like a parasite. I knew I only had a few more minutes before I had to force Grian to leave this world but just as I went to do that, a cry from below caused us both to jump.
"GRIAN!" I glance down to see Xisuma standing beside a made wearing a blue sweater. A pair of beat's headphones rested around his neck. He was jumping up and down, waving at us and seeming to ignore the watchers around him. X was swinging a Stone sword at any who got too close to him, clipping one on the wing at one point.
They stayed clear of him after that.
Grian tentatively peaked his head over the edge of the tree before dive bombing the man faster than I could have even called after him. I watched as Grian slammed into the boy and they rolled on the floor laughing.
I followed only seconds after and only a moment before X begins to speak. "Grian, this is touching and all, but we have a problem here."
Grian freezes and slowly stands up, looking up into the sky. Glancing at Taurtis, I see Grian nod once and turn back to us. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you who I was earlier. I- well- I didn't even know. I am called The Watched. Simply explained, I was cursed years ago to attract the watchers somehow through the code. When they find me, I can be controlled. Taurtis had been helping me hide until we had a falling out in the Evo SMP and the watchers found us."
"Can we stop them?" I mutter lightly, there will be lots of time later for Grian's story, but right now we have a server to save. Grian pauses and thinks for a moment, nodding after a second.
"No Grian. That will kill you."
"I'm sorry Taurtis... I should have done it in the Evo SMP, but I was too scared. I thought I could just take them out in battle."
"I will do it." I glance at Taurtis, confused ino what he was volunteering for, but without further questioning, Taurtis had scaled the boulder and the tree and I watched as he leapt into the portal, he feet stumbling as he disappeared through.
"What's happening?" I asked Grian glancing at the now wide eyed hermit.
"He's going to self-destruct." Grian's voice choked on a light sob, "Watchers are only susceptible to their own magic. Taurtis is the last of the original watchers, along with Steve and Herobrine."
"Taurtis is one of them," X asked, waving his hand around at the watchers, "but good?"
Grian hummed in confirmation, his eyes glued to the sky, fresh tears fall down his cheeks. Just as the portal exploded into the sky, I felt my knees hit the soft grass as the code ripped my own heart apart.
I just experienced the total annihilation of a sector of the code. I barely registered as Xisuma came running up to me, as Grian screamed out Taurtis' name. I struggled to find a way to fill the hole dug into the code, hoping the Coding team was on it already.
"Joe? Can you hear me?" a gentle voice called out to me. Everything in my body was ripping itself to shreds and I could hear other voices talking above me.
"Grian! I know you're hurting now, but we're about to lose Joe!"
"X! What on earth? It should only be affecting watchers and me. Those with watcher magic."
"Joe has code magic. Some sort of connection to it."
"Oh... the destruction of the code must be affecting his body."
"Can you help him?"
"My magic is fading fast due to the watcher realm being destroyed, but I'll try." A purple light shone in the darkness of my mind, as I watched my own code shatter and reknit itself in a strange pattern which I finally recognized. Galactic.
The hole in my own soul began to fill as I heard Grian's final words, "that's the last of my magic. I have nothing anymore. Taurtis is gone, I just tried destroyed my home on the Hermitcraft server and my magic is depleted beyond replenishing."
The darkness of codeless sleep was calling to me, but I want to tell him. I want to tell him that it was okay. We were still his friends, no his family. I wanted to tell him how important he was to the Hermitcraft server, but my mouth wouldn't open.
So, for now I would listen and let them take care of me as I slipped into the darkness. Talking could come later.