[No one]

The words kept running in front of her eyes as she ran her finger through the old, ripped pages of the book.

She knew she was supposed to be in the meeting, but she felt like she was so close to the right answers. Just a few little details were missing from the story she was trying to make out of the truths she knew.

She bit her lip and dropped the books on her bed and hurried out of the door, grabbing a lantern with her.

Her footsteps echoed in the hallway as she ran towards the doors. She threw them open, making one of them knock over Ned, who had been standing on the other side.

"I'm sorry!" She shouted, but didn't have time to stop. She knew her brother was okay.

She just had to go take a quick peek at the catacombs before the meeting started. She knew there was the missing answer. She was already so close to figuring out the truth.

[Xelqua]

     "We have 5 minutes! Hanging out speedrun!" Kasen exclaimed as me and Upton, who I had found on my way, made it to him and Chet.

"Do you think they would care of we just ditched the meeting?" Upton suggested innocently.

"You and  ̇/ᒷꖎ are the 4th and 5th in command. Obviously someone will notice that you are missing. Plus, there are only a few of us. Obviously someone will count that we're missing four people," Chet hummed, being the only one of us with braincells.

"You're the only one in this fucking group who can actually count," Kasen pointed out, making Chet sigh. We all knew it was true.

"And I'm the only one of us who has never gone to any kind of school," Chet whined, admitting his defeat.

"In my defence, everything we did at my school was learn satanic rituals," I mentioned, getting three suspicious stares.

"I can literally tell you a lord Cthulhu -summoning ritual right away," I smirked and started before the could stop me, "Swooce moose babba duce. Yack yack jack black meep beep momma sheep. Icee yuuoo peee. Hahahah you said, "I see you pee." Wow you're gullible. Numa numa memes, never gonna give you up. RRRREEEEEEEEEEE!"

Nothing happened. The three other members of the Chaotic-squad just stared at me with black faces.

"Don't worry, that RRRREEEEEEEEEEEE had only 11 E's. The actual ritual has 12," I smirked. "Better not mess with me, I've dated the Necronomicon," I added.

"I don't even want to know what you did at high school," Kasen raised his hands up as a sign of surrounding.

"I'm not even gonna say what happened on Tuesdays-" I grimaced.

"Nope, I'm out," Upton turned around and began walking away until he walked to a tree.

"I don't know if I should be curious about what happened, but I'm just gonna remain silent," Chet decided with only a bit of hesitation.

"Well, not everything about high school was that fun," My gaze darkened and I could swear I saw a bit of fear in Chet's eyes when he looked at me. "Sometimes there's a wolf in sheep's clothes," I whispered in a tone that was more dangerous I could have ever even imagined.

"You know what? Let's just go to the meeting before we get hunted down by ᒲᔑ𝙹 or
ᓭ⍑ᒷリ," Kasen decided and pulled Upton from the ground, where he was limply laying. Upton didn't want to get up anymore after walking to the tree.

Me and Chet stared right into Upton's soul as we followed him and Kasen. Kasen was dragging him from his right arm and he just remained limp, even though he was clearly awake. He trying to staring at me and Chet, which was pretty much impossible since he is an admin and we are Watchers.

[No one]

     The hands of the clock around her wrist were getting dangerously close to the time the meeting was supposed to start as she ran through the catacombs with books on her other hand and lantern on the other.

The shadows danced on the walls in the light the lantern casted. Her footsteps echoed through the empty stone halls as her sneakers hit the ground time after time. Her breathing was heavy panting after running for so long.

She didn't know how far away was the creature that was chasing after her through the darkness. Maybe she wanted to know, maybe she didn't.

Then she saw the ladders that would lead her out.

[No one]

     "Why is ꖌᔑᓭ dragging ⚍!¡ℸ ̣ 𝙹リ?" Mao raised his eyes from the report in front of him as Kasen let Upton fall on the floor in the middle of the meeting room.

"Do you think he has an actual reason to do it?" Sherenidy snorted. "He's doing it just because he can," She turned to look at Upton, who was now getting poked by his server's other admin, the Lead Admin Blake.

"You alive?" Blake inquired and let his finger poke the younger one the cheek, even if he was starting right at him.

"Can I do my satanic ritual now to get him come back alive?" Xelqua asked and got hit in the head by a book that Kasen threw at him from Chet.

"Does ritual involve sacrifices?" Sherenidy got interested immediately. Her question led Oskari, who was sitting right next to her, to bonk her.

"I found drugs!" Meadow informed from the audience's seat rows, where she was digging under the seats.

"Is it cocaine?" Tatton inquired, turning to look towards the crimson haired Rookie Watcher.

"Nah, it says 'vehnäjauho', but I'm pretty sure it's a drug," Meadow answered as she examined the small plastic bag in her hands.

"Oh dear," Yenny buried her face in her hands.

Oskari and Sherenidy just laughed, but shared a look that meant they weren't planning on telling what the bag actually contained.

The Rookie Watcher Topi was just sitting on his seat between Topaz and Lupin, staring at the wall like the whole situation didn't even exist.

     The door gracefully flew open and Jaylee stared at the scene. Her white eyes were hard to read, but it was clear that she didn't want to know what she had walked into.

"I don't even want to know," She grimaced and shut the door in front of her.

"There goes our dickhead," Edita pointed out as she stared at the closed door.

"How many times do I have to tell you to learn human anatomy?" Jaylee shouted from the other side of the door.

"Not enough!" Edita answered.

"Can everyone just please sit down?" Mao finally asked and turned to look at the chaos that was going on in the meeting room when the public wasn't there to see.

"Who are we even missing?" Sherenidy turned to examine the room with her hidden eyes as the door flew open and Jaylee walked in with Alden, Caton, Godiva and Winslow.

"Only ᑑ⚍╎リリ," Said Mao, making everyone turn around to see that the mentioned Main Admin's seat was empty.

     Xelqua raised his eyes to met his mentor's. He didn't need her to tell him what to do because he already figured it out by just looking at her expression.

He stood up and hurried out of the door. No one asked any questions, they knew what he was going to do.

[No one]

     She reached for the ladder, and soon her hand clashed against the rusty metal. Just a second later her lantern crashed and shattered on the floor since she had only two hands and one was already for the books.

She pushed the trapdoor open. Her heart stopped the moment her hand hit the hard cement floor. She knew she was doomed.

     The catacombs had two entrances. One that led to a hidden spot in a garden, and one that lead to a dark alleyway that was completely hidden from the public eye.

This one was the alleyway one. She saw how the buildings casted a shadow over it, and she knew she wouldn't make it out alive.

She had two options. She could either slide back down and start running blindly in the darkness, when the creature would catch her and her body would remains undiscovered. Or she could get out to the alleyway and let the creature end her there, where her body could still be found by her siblings.

"Well shit," She gritted her teeth and pulled herself up from the catacombs, setting to sit down on the ground, with her legs still hanging in the catacombs.

    She raised her eyes to face the creature in front of her. Her facial expression was a cold poker face, she already knew what was going to happened and there was no way she was going to show any weakness.

"What do you want from me, ⨅ᒷリ╎ℸ ̣ ⍑?" She spat the name like it was burning her mouth.

"You know too, ᑑ⚍╎リリ," Zenith flashed his sharp teeth smugly. He knew he had won this round.

"You're killing me because I saw you beat up your student? Because I saw your true nature!" Quinn growled. Her black eyes were glowing in the dark of alleyway.

"ᓭ⍑ᒷリ was just a tool for me. I never cared about her life, just the power within her," Zenith smirked, making Quinn let out another growl.

"At least I care about her and everyone else!" Quinn snapped. A mistake. Snake-like chains wrapped tight around her.

"You are a fool for trying to stop ᒷ∷∷𝙹∷. I had to stop you before you managed to stop it," Zenith smirked and picked up one of the books that had fallen from Quinn's hands when the chains had wrapped around her.

"NO!" Quinn screamed as the chains pulled her up and Zenith dropped the books back to the catacombs, closing the entrance after them.

"You were so close to getting rid of ᒷ∷∷𝙹∷, but this one small mistake ruined your plan and costed your life," Zenith turned to face Quinn.

Her face was empty. Her hand was reaching towards the devil in her ballroom as the chains began approaching her neck.

The devil took her hand and spun her around as the chains wrapped around her neck and lifted her up from the ground.

     Zenith smirked as she fell limp. He snapped his fingers and her body fell on the ground.

He lifted her up and tossed her against the wall, making blood fall from her mouth. Her cloak was now stained in her own blood as her body laid against the cold cement floor.

"Too bad you chose the wrong ladder," He hummed before turning around and disappearing to the shadows.

[Xelqua]

    I ran through the Main World, trying to get a track of my missing sister. The lack of clues was really making my heart ache. I had a bad feeling that something was wrong.

"I sensed something.."

I froze. That hadn't sounded good.

'What did you sense.?' I asked hesitatedly, knowing I didn't actually want to know the truth.

"The alleyway on our right.."

I turned to face a really narrow hole between two buildings.

'I'm not slim enough to fit there,' I pointed out.

"Teleport."

'It's not easy.'

"Fly in from above. The alleyway isn't that narrow, it's only the entrance."

I gritted my teeth, but let my wings open to their full length, scaring a few players nearby, and boosted myself up from the ground.

     I made my way to the alleyway and glanced my surroundings. Everything was dark and it was nearly impossible to see, but my Watcher powers were making it a bit easier.

I lifted my right hand up and opened my fingers to let a purple flame start burning on my glove. It lit up the darkness, but didn't burn anything.

My shoes it the stone floor as I began walking deeper to the darkness. The walls of the two buildings were far enough for each other so I had a lot space, which was actually pretty surprising.

"I can't sense danger anymore, but I can sense something else.."

I knew exactly what he meant, but I didn't want to admit it. I didn't want to believe him just yet.

I continued walking until something appeared in the edge of the light my fire was casting. I froze.

There was something laying against the wall on my right side. It just laid there in silence.

Hesitatedly I took a step closer and it was easier to see what, or rather who, it was. I still didn't want to believe it.

Something moved under my leg. I looked down to see I had stepped on a Watcher's chain. Someone had summoned it, but had been too weak to summon it back to themselves.

I raised my glare again to see the body against the wall. I bit my lip and walked to it, carefully placing my hand on The Main Admin Quinn's cold cheek.

     I looked at the unmoving face of Quinn. She laid there in silence with chain marks around her neck and blood oozing from her nose and mouth.

I let out a shaky breath and took her cold, bloody hand on mine. Then I screamed. The whole world could hear my grief.

"That's what I feared.."

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't just leave her laying on this dark alleyway to rot all alone. She deserved so much better.

'W-what C-caused this..?' I tried to ask Xavier as I wrapped her body in her bloodstained cloak to hide her from the world.

"It's hard to say, but it was something dark. I'm afraid that only she knows what really happened and who did this to her."

I hesitated before starting to walk towards the exit of the alleyway that I saw, or I thought I saw. I didn't know if it was a way out or just a dead end, but at least there was light.

[No one]

     The meeting room was full of chaos. Meadow, Tatton, Godiva, Peyton and Lupin were trying to figure out what the "drug" was, while Yenny was just laying on the table trying to find the meaning of life.

Blake was still bothering Upton, and Kasen and Xenex had joined him too. Upton was just starting at them with a poker face as they dragged him down the stairs that led to the players' seats.

Irwin, Sherenidy, Dexter, Ned, Leslie and Topaz were trying to play a game with six glasses, which had one with poison and the rest alcohol.

"ᒲᒷᔑ↸𝙹∴, ℸ ̣ ᔑℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ 𝙹リ, ⊣𝙹↸╎⍊ᔑ,
!¡ᒷ||ℸ ̣ 𝙹リ, ꖎ⚍!¡╎リ, please leave that flour alone. ʖꖎᔑꖌᒷ, ꖌᔑᓭᒷリ,  ̇/ᒷリᒷ ̇/, please stop dragging ⚍!¡ℸ ̣ 𝙹リ around. ╎∷∴╎リ, ᓭ⍑ᒷ∷ᒷリ╎↸||, ↸ᒷ ̇/ℸ ̣ ᒷ∷, リᒷ↸, ꖎᒷᓭꖎ╎ᒷ, ℸ ̣ 𝙹!¡ᔑ⨅, I don't even want to know what're you doing, but please stop it," Alden decided to just break it all apart before anyone went and died.

He earned a few groans, but somehow everyone still abandoned their plans and came to take their places around the tables.

     Suddenly, both Sherenidy and Jaylee, raised their heads at the exact same time. No one was able to read their expressions, but everyone knew that hadn't been a good sign.

Jaylee tilted her head a bit and began listening to something. The Cursed Ones, as she called them.

Sherenidy moved her right hand on her dagger that was connected to her belt under the cloak she was forced to wear. She gritted her teeth when the weapon left a 3rd degree burn to her right hand.

Haylie was next to her before anyone else got a change to reach, holding something cold against the burn. No one really knew what it was, but they trusted their nurse.

"What is it?" Alden asked and glanced at the Jaylee and Sherenidy, who were mouthing words to each other.

"Death," Sherenidy answered. Everyone froze. It had been obvious because Sherenidy and Jaylee both reacted to deaths, but still no one wanted to believe it.

"Who?" Mao asked hesitatedly since no one else did.

Jaylee and Sherenidy shared another unreadable look, which was rare because The Council was always able to read each others faces, expect now when there was a stronger force stopping others from understanding what the duo was on about.

The answer was never said out loud, both of them just stood up and began walking towards the doors.

"ᓵ⍑ᒷℸ ̣ , ᒷ↸╎ℸ ̣ ᔑ, ʖꖎᔑꖌᒷ, ꖎᒷᓭꖎ╎ᒷ," Alden nodded to the four of them to follow after Jaylee and Sherenidy.

[Xelqua]

     I walked through the Main World with Quinn on my arms. I kept my poker face behind my Watcher mask and didn't look at anyone.

The players around me were gasping and sobbing. They knew a Main Admin had fallen, and in a situation like this, it was way more worse. We were in a war that risked everyone's lifes and now we had one less fighter.

I raised my glare to see Jaylee and Sherenidy standing by the Main HQ's doors with Chet, Edita, Blake and Leslie.

I noticed how Sherenidy and Jaylee moved out of the way and Chet stepped towards me. He took Quinn from me and began carrying her inside the Main HQ.

Jaylee wrapped her arms around me to help me walk inside the building because I was so close to collapsing to the ground.

[No one]
   

     A strawberry blonde female hurried down a hallway. She had to get out before someone notices her. She knew the Watchers wanted information from her, but she wasn't going to give them any information. She wouldn't betray her family no matter what.

A hand grabbed her wrist and she almost screamed before spinning around to see a young girl with long blonde hair blue eyes.

"Follow me," The girl whispered and began pulling her down the opposite way of the hallway she had originally planned on going.

"What're you doing?" She panicked and tried to pull her wrist out of the girl's grip.

"Shh, they'll find you if you shout!" The girl stopped and spun around to face her.

"Who are you and why are you doing this?" She exclaimed again.

"Clementine, and I'm here to help you a bit. I can't do much, but I try to make sure you won't face the same fate I faced," The girl answered and began running around.

"Do you know my name?" She inquired hesitatedly.

"You're Ariana. Ariana Faeqen is the name you legally use, but your actual name is Ariana Amaranthae Charles. The daughter of Amaranthae-Naexi Ciliren Faeqen and Xelqua Xenos Charles. The younger sister of Ethel Ember Charles and twin sister of Grian Xelqua Charles. Also the aunt of Theseus Raccnitt Charles and Clementine Clara Charles," Clementine told without even looking at her.

"How-" Ariana started, but Clementine stopped and just pushed through a wall with no warning. She screamed as she hit the ground.

The room was dark and she was now all alone, Clementine was not there. Looked like she was stuck too because there was no visible entrance.

"Wait! Let me out!" She screamed, but for some reason she felt like the wall was soundproof.

She glanced around her, but there was no source of light. She had no idea where she was and why was she there, but she really hoped the Watchers wouldn't follow her there.

[No one]

     Grian stared at the ceiling of his small room in the shipwreck. He still couldn't believe what had happened.

He couldn't believe they had lost one of their siblings, and it had happened in the Main World. The Main World was supposed to be safe.

     A black haired female laying on the ground in front of the Café with a knife in her back. Someone else is standing behind her, they look satisfied. The audience is screaming and crying in shock.

     Grian covered his ears. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't want to hear it, he wanted it to stop. The scene was familiar, too familiar. It was like it was a memory.

A sob escaped from his mouth and he held the amethyst necklace he had close to himself. For some reason he didn't remember, the necklace gave him a safe feeling.

He started to feel like there was something in the past, or in the future, that he needed to figure out, but he had no idea what was it. Had he done something?

     His communicator buzzed, but he didn't want to look at it. He buried his face on his pillow and let the tears stain in. He just wanted to fell asleep and get free from the pain for a moment, just a moment would be enough.

Then like someone had heard his wish, he felt his eyes heavy and the world began slowly disappeared. He could have sworn he felt someone stroking his hair, but he was too tired to care.

The the darkness fell and he slipped to unconsciousness as the water outside kept hitting again the glass surrounding his bed.

Somewhere deep in the water was someone looking at him from the distance, but the ghost stroking his hair stopped them from getting closer.

The ghost and the creature made eye contact, but didn't do anything else. They weren't from the same world, they didn't know each other, but they both had a mission they had to follow.

     A Hermit sailed past the undersea base and stopped for a moment to look twice. They were sure they had seen someone next to the sleeping Hermit, but looked like they had just imagined things.

The fading glow under the surface just a few blocks away from the base concerned them though. It looked like an unnatural light source, which wasn't normal.

They jumped out of the boat and made a small trip under the salty seawater, but after searching for a few minutes, they hadn't found anything suspicious.

They returned to their boat and checked again from above the water, but there was nothing. They had an uneasy feeling since they could have sworn they saw something there.

     Just as they were about to continue their journey, they looked down once more and now there was a pair of purple eyes staring right back at them from the water just a few blocks from their boat.

They didn't want to admit it, but they had screamed and started rowing away really fast. They had no idea who, or what it had been, but they didn't even want to know.

They knew one thing though. There was something hiding under the water, and it was really close to Grian.

They didn't know if they should tell Grian. There was a possibility that they had just imagined things and then they would scare without a reason.

They decided to wait and see if they saw something again, then they would tell Grian about it.

Now they just had to hope it was nothing dangerous that wanted to take Grian's life immediately. Maybe they should stay close to his base just in case for tonight.

     They rowed their boat the the shore nearby, where they could see the strawberry blonde's base and glanced in the water.

But they didn't notice a creature climbing from the water just a bit away from him. They didn't notice how it walked behind him just a few blocks away and stopped to look at him with its glowing purple eyes before disappeared to the shadows to look at the sleeping Hermit from farther away.

Words: 4000

[24.9.2021]

(This is the longest chapter I have ever written!)

(Xenex' birthday is 24.9. Because that's also Xisuma's birthday!)

(Someone please come slap me the next time I remember the Watcher's halo after colouring the hair-)

(

Xenex is 25 in the beginning of the books, in 2018)

(5 facts:

1. Xenex' name is Xanthus Xenex Void and he's the twin brother of Xisuma. He's also known as Evil Xisuma.

2. In this series Evil Xisuma is just a prank that Xenex and Xisuma decided to pull in Hermitcraft.

3. Xenex is a Watcher and the spent 6 years in the Watchers' Academy with Grian. His brother is an admin as you probably know, but Xen isn't an admin and Xisuma isn't a Watcher.

4. He became blind in A New Era during the fight again Jean and Sam.

5. He was originally a Rookie, but got promoted to a Lead pretty quickly and he also ended up becoming a Main at some point. Meaning that his the only one who has ranked up from a Rookie to a Main.)