TW: Torture, Death, slight gore, Memory altering, Trauma, etc. (We're back to angst peeps! It couldn't last, we all knew it)

Pearl and Taurtis gasped at the ruins of spawn before them. Grian was kneeling before it all, tears flowing down his face as he stared into the pit. Blood splattered the sides of it, bodies lay around. Pearl's eyes darted around without her permission, identifying the bodies by the charred clothing on them being burned up by the purple flames. Netty, Martyn, Zee, Big B, Salem... and more.

Frantically she looked around, and with relief, Jimmy was missing. A while ago, Grian had told her about Jimmy's unique role on a server. The canary didn't die, the server wasn't about to fall apart on them. But who was she kidding, everything was falling apart, if the canary was dead or not. Everyone was dead... other then Grian. Grian was alive. Why was she standing around!

"GRIAN-" She yelled, running towards the gremlin.

He didn't seem to hear her, and a wave of purple light knocked her to her back as she neared her friend. She looked up in time to see two imposing figures loaming over her friend. She could tell instinctively these must be the watchers, and was stunned in a mix of awe and terror.

" ̇/ᒷꖎ- ̇/ᒷꖎ ᔑ ∷ᒷ ||𝙹⚍ ᔑ ꖎ∷╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ ?_? ̇/ᒷꖎ?_? ᓵ ᔑ リ ||𝙹⚍ ⍑ᒷᔑ ∷ ᒲᒷ?_? ̇/ᒷꖎ,_, !¡ꖎᒷᔑ ᓭᒷ ᔑ リᓭ∴ᒷ∷!" One of the watchers called out frantically, shaking Grian.

"ꖌᔑ リ⍊╎,_, ∴ᒷ ᒲ⚍ᓭℸ ̣  ⊣𝙹,_, ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ∷ᒷʖᒷꖎᓭ ᔑ ∷ᒷ ᓵ 𝙹ᒲ╎リ⊣. ∴ᒷ ᓵ ᔑ リ'ℸ ̣  ʖᒷ ᓵ ᔑ ⚍⊣⍑ℸ ̣  ⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ." The other said quietly, head tilting up to the sky. Pearl assumed they were scanning the skyline.

"╎ ↸𝙹リ'ℸ ̣  ∴ᔑ リℸ ̣  ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ℸ ̣ ᒷꖎᒷ!¡𝙹∷ℸ ̣  ⍑╎ᒲ ╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ᓭℸ ̣ ᔑ ℸ ̣ ᒷ..." The first one spoke again.

"ꖌᔑ リ⍊╎,_, ∴ᒷ ⍑ᔑ ⍊ᒷ リ𝙹 ᓵ ⍑𝙹╎ᓵ ᒷ!_!∴ᒷ ᒷ╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ∷ ℸ ̣ ᒷꖎᒷ!¡𝙹∷ℸ ̣  ⍑╎ᒲ 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣  𝙹∷ ⍑ᒷ ↸╎ᒷᓭ ⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ." The other responded. The two nodded to eachother, and purple light glowed around them, so bright, it caused Pearl to squint against it. When she blinked they were gone, taking Grian with them.

"Grian?!" Taurtis called out after a moment. Pearl ran over to where Grian was, and looked at Taurtis. Both were crying at this point, and a even more sickening thought was spoken by Pearl as she eyes widened.

"Grian was our admin..." She whispered. "EVO doesn't have a active Hub portal..."

"We have to wait here... The Admins have must a list of permadeaths right? They'll come to investigate, right?" Taurtis replied. "They won't abandon us here with the watchers..."

"Yeah... But, Grian was an admin... He never really went to many meetings- It's always been the Watchers caring for us... What if the admins don't know?" Pearl whispered back, it feeling forbidding to break the sorrowful quiet.

"Your always a pessimist... It'll be fine. We'll get out of here, get Grian back..."

"Sure." Pearl was too exhausted to reply... All her friends were dead, dead, dead. She was alone, other then Taurtis... And Grian might be suffering a fate worse then death in the hands of the watchers.

Pearl and Taurtis had been alone for a few hours. They'd finally moved and begun making graves for their friends. They walked back to spawn, when a purple flash made them both jump. A group of watchers, numbering around 6 landed around the two.

"∴⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ ╎ᓭ ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ." A watcher stepped forwards and spoke.

Pearl shivered in terror at this unfamiliar language, but didn't want to kneel before the beings like Taurtis was doing.

"YOU TOOK OUR FRIENDS FROM US!" She shouted defiantly at the watcher, anger rising.

"Ah... You speak... Common. I suggest you calm your mortal temper." The watcher spoke in Common as If unused to the tongue, but quickly got used to it. "We simply wish to locate the watcher known as Xelqua, we care not for your mortal 'Friends'."

"You destroyed our server and took Grian, we're not going to help you!" She shouted back.

"We did no such thing." The watcher responded patiently yet dismissively as if dealing with a young child they didn't care for. "It was likely the other group, the Weaklings. The ones who insist on interacting with mortals. We are the true watchers. But please, describe this... Grain fellow?"

"His name is GRIAN. And why should I? What have you done but demand things!"

"Pearl... It'll be better just to go along with it..." Taurtis whispered. "If there one thing I've learned is that it's best to obey people with power over you." He returned to staring at the ground.

Pearl sighed, the desperate look in Taurtis' eyes convincing her against her better interest. "He has short cut light yellow-y hair, green clothes..."

" ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ ... ⍑ᒷ'ᓭ ʖᒷᒷリ ∷ᒷᒲ𝙹⍊ᒷ↸ ⎓∷𝙹ᒲ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭᒷ∷⍊ᒷ∷. ᒲ╎ᓭℸ ̣ ∷ᔑ ,_,_,_, ∷ᒷ!¡𝙹∷ℸ ̣  ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ⍑ᒷᔑ ↸ ∴ᔑ ℸ ̣ ᓵ ⍑ᒷ∷. ℸ ̣ ᒷꖎꖎ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷᒲ ⍑ᒷ'ᓭ ʖᒷᒷリ ᒷ ̇/ℸ ̣ ∷ᔑ ᓵ ℸ ̣ ᒷ↸." The watcher turned back to the two.

"Well, you've been decidedly tolerable mortal, unlike your friend." The watcher smiled towards Taurtis. "And we need new recruits."

"W- Wait, you can't take him! Take me instead!" Pearl shouted, holding her arms up in front of the watcher.

"Ah, eager for our powers I see? Very well, we'll have two new recruits." The watcher chuckled, a cruel emotionless sound for what was supposed to be a show of amusement.

"Great job Pearl." Taurtis whispered, sounding quite downcast. "Now we're both going to the watchers."

"Era, come forth. Bring Unor with you." A voice called from the doorway. Yura. Oh no. This couldn't be good.

Pearl still hadn't gotten used to her new name, so it took a second for her to respond. "Yes Mx. Unor, awaken... please?"

Primals, the formal speech was so awkward to do, but she knew the punishments that would come from disobeying them... At least the Galactic rolled off her tongue since the ceremony. She shivered, remembering the pain the ceremony caused. She had scars from it on her arms from the fire licking at her arms...

"Ugh... One more minute." Taurtis rolled over groaning.

"Unor, Yura's here. Awaken now." She said loudly.

"Notch-" Taurtis jumped up in terror before realizing his mistake.

"Unor, we do not speak solely his name. Should you wish to curse, curse in the name of the Primals, as we are in none of their domains since the falling of the first dragon... Do not let me hear you say such things again." Yura replied in their typical cold tone, but Pearl had learned to pick up in subtle changes in body posture, and she knew Yura was quite irritated at Taurtis.

"Forgive him, I shouldn't have scared him so. Instincts aren't broken quickly." She quickly tried to take the blame for him.

"Era, you must stop attempting to take the blame for Unor's inability to adjust to our way of life. Such mortal bonds will simply hold you back. If this happens again, we'll have to give you double lessons with educator Seral"

"Yes Mx." Pearl dipped her head, hand on her chest over her heart, as was customary for students towards instructors.

Seral was the school's de-toxifer which meant they went into your head and proceeded to punish you for 'unwatcher-like thoughts'. It was a typical thing, but a double lessons would be torture. Literally. She could hide most at this point, resist the attack upon her mind. But if Seral had longer with her- Well, they would be able to shatter her mental barriers and find the memories and thoughts she hid in the deepest parts of her brain, so they wouldn't be altered.

"Unor, report to Headmaster Urkis afterwards for punishment. We must remove the toxins Mortals have instilled apon you."

"Y- Yes Mx." Taurtis replied, dipping his head and after a second, placing his hand on his chest as Pearl did.

Pearl felt bad for him. He couldn't defend himself as well as she could, which meant he had to fear the watchers would alter every thought or memory he had. Taurtis and Pearl had started journals where they stored the unaltered forms of their most important memories to act as triggers if they were altered or removed. This way, the two hoped they could keep their sense of self. But it was terrifying to be here for the foreseeable future.

Pearl. She was Pearl. She came from where... She needed to remember it! She took a deep breath, desperately flipping through her journal. A couple pages in and the accurate memories flooded back in.

Primals, It'd finally happened, what she was so terrified of. They'd broken through her barriers, and altered her memories. They'd tried to make her forget Grian, and Evo. This had happened a few times to Taurtis, as he was more talented at psychical combat then the magic. Pearl was better at magical defenses, but was horrible at offense. But luckily her barriers were strong enough she sensed when the Watchers slipped past them, felt the prickle she now knew as them editing a memory.

"Era, what is this?" A voice snapped from behind her. "Such types of items are treasonous to the extreme!"

Oh no- They knew- Her defense- She'd have to make a excuse, if they changed her memories before she was able to check the book. "I mean no harm professor. I had no idea such items were against our way of life. I shall dispose of it instantly. This action didn't intend to cause offense, please forgive my breech of conduct." She gave the correct dip of her head, and the disgruntled professor nodded.

"Very well Era, do not allow this to happen again."

Screams echoed in her ears... She hoped she'd never had to do that again. The jail was cramped, unsanitary, and the pain inflicted there was a torture simply to witness... The tingling of her magic as the evil thing seemed to sing in joy at the misery the person before her.

But if she even put a feather out of line, primal forbid, she'd end up there. Era.. No, she was Pearl. Her name was Pearl, not that cursed name the watchers addressed her by.

It was happening again. She should check her journal again tonight. But she hadn't felt her barrier touched. Was she just losing herself naturally? That terrified her. It couldn't be true...

No, she needed to think logically, calmly. It wasn't unnatural a act could become how she truly acted. She had to be careful, very careful...

"I'm sorry I meant no offense-" She apologized desperately as she was dragged off to the dungeons but the guard who was pulling her along didn't respond.

The only voice she heard the rest of the day were her own screams of agony.

A voice whispered in her headspace while she was in meditation like state. "You will obey, not allow mortal emotions to hinder you. You will become a true watcher. You will not remember this session, simply go to your room, go to sleep."

"I will obey, I will not allow mortal emotions to hinder me... I will become a true watcher. I will not remember this, simply go to my room, and go to sleep." She whispered back instinctively.

Era stared across the Void. They'd graduated from training today, and soon would be deployed to the war in a squadron. This idea, the idea of the lives lost, didn't effect her as must as she thought it would. This troubled her. The signs had been there for months, but finally, she was cold enough to analysis them without her own fear denying them. This worried her more, the emotion poking through the silky, almost unnatural calm that seemed to create a haze around her.

She turned to Unor. "Unor. My memories are getting weak. I believe I've begun to lose my humanity."

"Me as well. We should make haste and exit this place." Unor replied.

"But how. It's impossible to leave the encampement."

"They wish for us to believe that. But I have discovered a portal that leads to the servers."

"This would be direct disobedience."

"This may be the last time we're even slightly free-thinking." Unor replied. "You've fallen for it more then I have, I see it in your emotional responses. Your temper has all but disappeared, you no longer cry after returning from the dungeon."

"Unor, your not as safe as you believe either. Your cheer has vanished, and you treat me coldly instinctively. You take your life for granted, and you swallowed the history and new customs we were taught with ease."

"It appears they targeted the parts of us that most reflect our mortality." Unor replied thoughtfully.

"Yes, I see the urgency now. We must leave now." Era swallowed. "Lead the way."

"Era, let me do something." Unor grabbed her wrist, and closed his many eyes. She felt a prodding in her headspace. This lasted for around 10 awkward minutes before he opened his eyes again.

"Unor, what was that?" She replied, this surprisedly calm given the privacy invasion.

"Just a safeguard, so if one of use gets captured, while the other escapes, the other can be free from the watchers, by erasing the one who was captured's memories of the other. If you get captured, I'll call out the trigger word, and you'll forget about me."

"Very well, let's go."

Era and Unor walked down the halls. As full watchers, no one questioned them until they reached the portal room. Before the hidden doorway Unor had spoken of, there was a guard stationed before it. They hadn't planned for this.

"I'll be on defense, you handle offense?" Era questioned. Unor nodded, and Era waved her hands, A glittering violet shield forming around the two. Unor summoned his obsidian sword to his hand. The two nodded, silently leaping forwards.
"Ah, Era, Unor." The guard responded calmly, raising their blade to deflect Unor's attack, magic slipping around, attacking Era's shield.
The three fought for a while, but Era's shield shattered. With a flick of the wrist, the watcher redirected their magic and Unor's blade was ripped out of his hand. He quickly summoned it once more, but the two knew it was a losing fight.
Unor turned to Era. "Era, you must escape. I can keep them busy so may have a chance at survival."
"I refuse to abandon you." She
"Era, I don't wish to do this, but you must leave me here."
"No, Unor. We fall together."
"This is the last bit of humanity I have left. Let me feel it."
"Unor this isn't the end. We can get more powerful- We just need to remember about what they do, and undo it."
"No, it is. Farewell Era. Or should I say..." Unor slipped out of galactic. "Goodbye... Pearl." With a flick of his wrist, he send Pearl flying back through the door, into the portal. Just before she vanished, he shouted a single word. "SAFEGUARD!" And everything went dark.

A/N
Heheh the angst returnssss >:D
Remember when Grian was just slightly traumatized and stressed? And he was the only one who was? Those were good times.
Pronoun note:
Yura - They/Them

The other watchers are unimportant to the plot.
WC: 2602 (I wanted to fit all of the flashbacks into one chapter, sorry!)

- Xera