Xelqua could only really remember a few things before his first day in the academy for the Watchers. The life in Evo he had. He went by Grian there. Or was it Grain? No. That didn't sound right. Grian. He could barely remember. He was thinking about all of this as he was... falling. Falling through the void then the sky. The ground was quickly approaching. He wasn't scared of that though. Truthfully he was relieved.
He was thankful he was free. Having 'escaped', even if it wasn't unscathed. He was heavily injured. His wings were broken in a few places. Mana burns on his skin a sickening blackish purple. As he landed, he was snapped back into reality, shooting up in his bed. It was just a dream. Why would I dream of the day I left that horrid place? He thought to himself as he shifted, dragging his hand down his face, and letting out a soft shaky sigh.
"This isn't season 6. This is season 16." He told himself and rolled out of bed straightening his red sweater. "I need to relax." He sighed and went to equip his elytra when he noticed pain coming from his back. From two points near his shoulder blades. He shook his head and equipped them anyway. He hasn't even been close to being called an Avian since his fall. His wings had disappeared as he was climbing out of the crater he had created in his landing.
He had forgotten about them. Two of his wings had disappeared before the fall during his exile. Yes, he in his Watcher form like the others had two sets. Why was he thinking about this? Why now? He shook his head more and decided he just needed to leave his base and do something. Anything. He clicked the tab to see who was online and smiled seeing Pearl was online. PearlesentMoon. One of the people who were in Evo with him. He sighed and flew over to her base. "Pearlllllll." He dove down and nearly crashed into the wall beside her but managed to not die.
"Hey mate. What're you doing here?" She chuckled side stepping out of the way. "I'm bored. I don't have much to do, no one worth pranking is online and I don't feel like building." Grian shrugged and shifted. The pain in his back was slowly getting worse. Causing him more discomfort that he had to take his elytra off.
He shifted and rubbed his eyes. "Valid reason but are you good? You look a bit dishevelled." Pearl questioned arching a brow. Grian took a moment to understand what she meant, thinking of what she said and then of his appearance. He must look tired.
"Just had a bad dream last night. Don't worry." He shook his head and stretched, draping his elytra on his arm. "Anyway. What're you up to?" He wanted to diverge from the conversation, not wanting to think about that memory. Even thinking about it caused his body to ache.
Pearl only gave him a look before letting the topic change. I'll figure out why he's being a bit dodgy, she thought and sat on her crafting table. "I'm putting things away before heading to the shopping district to restock."
"Oh jeez. I forgot to restock my shop!" Grian gasped and then groaned once the realization hit. Pearl's laughter helped calm his mind a bit. "I'm going to go with you since I need to desperately restock my shop before there's an uproar." He chuckled, rubbed his eyes, and equipped his elytra again, trying his best to hide the discomfort. He has to figure out why he is so sore and tender there soon before he isn't able to wear his crafted wings.
"Alright, race ya, G." Pearl smiled and flew off with a bit of rocket spam.
Grian shook his head muttering something about her getting a head start being unfair before following her example. Starting to get altitude to dive towards the shopping district. He was adept with flying and he knew the wind currents well so he got there before Pearl did. He sat in front of her shop with his legs crossed and his elytra in his lap.
He was adjusting the straps and the bracers for the fabric when she landed in front of him. "How?" She groaned. "Nevermind. You're Grian. You're a really good flier." She snickered at his face. It was comical how he looked offended with a large goofy smile.
She held her hand out to him and he grabbed it pulling him to his feet. "What's with you taking your elytra off so often though, G? You always have it on like the rest of us." She asked as they walked into her shop. Grian didn't answer and started helping her restock and count the diamonds she got as payment.
Pearl didn't like him not answering her questions. It was worrying, but she waited for more. Even when she went with him to his shop. "What are you hiding?" She asked as he was restocking his concrete powder shulkers. He stopped suddenly and looked at her. He had forgotten she was there.
"Nothing..."
"Grian, mate. You're not telling the truth. I know something is bothering you. You're an open book to me."
Dangit...I am an open book to her, Grian thought looking at the Aussie in front of him. He sighs and sits on his shulker box. "It's nothing, just something that's been bothering me since that dream." He started, before the two heard the spamming of rockets and someone landing outside the shop.
Thank the lord, Grian thought as he saw another hermit walk in.
"Hey, Grian. Hey Pearl. What's going on here?" Doc asked, stretching.
"Nothing-" Grian started, but Pearl interrupted him quite rudely. "No. No. You're not going to dodge this anymore." She said pointedly at Grian, before looking at Doc.
"Something's up with Grian. He's being dodgy and has been ignoring my questions for about two hours now."
"That doesn't sound like nothing man. What's going on?" Doc asked, crossing his arms and standing in front of the only exit.
Grian sighed and rubbed his eyes in defeat. "It was more of a...memory rather than a dream. When I first joined Hermitcraft. I don't think you remember how I joined Doc...but it wasn't really...pleasant." Grian started after trying to figure out how to tell them things, without revealing he was well...an eldritch being who many players were terrified of.
"Yeah, I remember. You made quite the crater when you crashed." Doc nodded. Pearl looked between them. Grian forgot he nor anyone else had told her how he joined the place.
"Yeah...well since the dream I don't know...I've been feeling weird. Like I was trapped in a fog. Then I started getting this aching pain near my shoulder blades."
"Is that why you're not wearing your elytra right now?" Pearl asked motioning to the harness on the chests behind him.
"Yeah. It's just a lot of discomfort. Anyway, since waking up and the pain starting I just couldn't...stay in my house anymore. I didn't feel right so I flew over to you and here we are." He shifted, tugging on his sweater. Pearl looked at him then Doc. "We'll be right back Doc. Then we'll finish restocking so you can get what you need." Pearl got to her feet and grabbed Grian by his wrist and pulled him out of the shop, past Doc who looked at them concerned.
"What?" He asked after they got out of earshot. He wasn't liking the concern in her eyes. It was making him guilty.
"Before you joined Season Six of Hermitcraft, you were in Evo with our other friends and me. You disappear from there then crash into season six causing a CRATER?!" She gripped his shoulders looking into his eyes. "What happened between those two events? You're not telling the truth."
"I will tell you later. Not right now though. Let's finish restocking then we'll talk." He insisted and they went back inside. Doc decided to help them restock seeing that they still had a lot to do. After restocking, Grian gave him a discount.
"I hope you'll feel a bit better, G." He said as he left. Grian gave a small smile and a nod before turning to look at Pearl. "Come to my place." He said and equipped his elytra again, before flying off.
This time Pearl got there first and Grian begrudgingly brought her inside. He again took off and hung up his elytra and grabbed some water for the both of them before sitting at the table. "Remember how there were...beings who were 'lording' over Evo?" He didn't want to say it. The name of those beings felt vile on his tongue.
"Yeah...the Watchers. Why? Did they make you leave the server?" She asked, sitting in front of him.
"S-Something like that..." He sighed. "I don't remember much but I was somewhere for a while not sure where but then I remember falling. I was hurt pretty bad but I was falling through the sky for a long time. Normally, being an..." He paused. He has to stick to this white lie to not tell her that he was one of those beings.
"Being an avian was helpful. I would be able to stop myself from falling. I couldn't though. My wings were broken in several places. When I crash-landed, they disappeared and I was crawling my way out of the massive crater I didn't even know a lightweight body like me could make." He continued and took a sip of his water. His knuckles were white holding onto the glass.
He looked at Pearl, trying to see her expression as she was silent processing what he was saying. "Pearl?" He tilted his head a bit. "Hm? Oh. Sorry, just a lot to process. So you are a wingless avian, who went missing for a while after some beings made you leave a server you were an admin of." She summed it up pretty well.
"Yeah..." He nodded slowly before finally relaxing his grip on the glass.
"Where does it hurt again, Grian?" She asked getting up and circling behind him. He could tell she was still worried but seemed to be thinking. He glanced over his shoulder at her before pointing to the areas of discomfort. "Where my wings were." "I'm going to lift your sweater to see something okay?" He knew she was going to do it anyway, so he only nodded and leaned forward so she could.
He wasn't going to lie that it hurt more when she pulled the sweater against then off of his skin. When his back was exposed, he felt Pearl's grip tighten on his sweater and glanced back at her face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging about slightly.
"Pearl?" He asked and it snapped her out of her thoughts. "You good?"
"Yeah. I'm good. Uh, mate, they're growing back. Quickly."
"What?" He couldn't believe that. "That can't be possible...granted avian's wings don't just straight up disappear but they don't just grow back. Period."
Pearl dropped his sweater and he fixed it before getting up and looking at her. "Well, they're growing back at an alarming rate. No wonder you've been hurting. You look like a common player but... with those coming back...do you think you'll be looking like a proper avian again?" She asked and Grian went to say no but closed his mouth thinking about it.
"I have no clue. I've never really thought about that because well...this hasn't happened before." He finally said shifting on his feet. She had a point. It was weird that he was regrowing his wings, granted the pair that came with being an avian, not two pairs that he was granted being a Watcher, but still. Thinking of his body reverting sent shivers down his spine.
"We should tell Xisuma. Maybe he has some ideas." Pearl suggested.
"Yeah..."
Pearl didn't wait for him to grab anything. She grabbed him by the arm and ran out of his house. She said they were going to walk, even though it would take a while. Grian insisted he could just grab his elytra and they could fly there, but Pearl told him walking would be more comfortable for him.
They bickered for a bit on the way when Grian realized it was too late and reluctantly told her fine. So they continued walking and talking about some small things. Grian thanked her for helping him restock since he didn't realize he needed it. When they got to Xisuma's base, Pearl knocked and called out for him. Grian shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his eyes. He was tired. Today was already mentally exhausting.
"Pearl, Grian. What're you two doing here? Everything alright?" Xisuma, the helmeted admin asked when he opened the door. Grian didn't look up at him, just at the ground, thinking.
Pearl elbowed him in the side, speaking with Xisuma, "Something is going on with this one and we need help." Grian shot her a look and rubbed her side before feeling Xisuma's gaze bearing down on him. "Okay. Come inside. Grian, go and sit down. You look horrid." He said stepping to the side to let them inside.
Do I look that bad? Grian thought and huffed before being dragged inside by Pearl. He looked around before he was told to sit. "Now, what's going on?" Xisuma asked, looking directly at Grian through his visor. Grian looked up and cleared his throat.
"That uhm...That is a bit complicated. You probably know; being the Admin of Hermitcraft...but I didn't start as a normal player. I'm- I was an avian and knowing avians...we don't just lose our wings. Depending on what server we're on they just change." That comment was for Pearl seeing her confused expression.