"I... can't."

The cavern was dead silent, all eyes locked on Scar and Xisuma as they stared each other down. Anxiety gripped at Grian's chest, his breathing shallow as he watched in horror. Was he really about to witness the murder of this creature? What if Scar refused? Grian's heart leapt into his throat, imagining the fear in Scar's eyes as Xisuma banned him and Doc. Xisuma was an admin; he would do anything for the safety of his server, and that notion had been comforting until right now. The flame in Xisuma's eyes, glowing behind his visor was an image that sent a shiver down Grian's spine.

Xisuma was the first one to break eye contact, taking a small step backwards. "Let's go check on Doc," He mumbled. Head hung so his expression was unreadable, Xisuma began leading the party out of the cave. Scar followed him dutifully, and Grian risked a glance at Ren and Scar as they fell into step as well. Cub was stone-faced, which didn't surprise Grian. Cub was probably having a hard time processing like himself, but Cub was far stronger-willed than Grian would ever be. Ren on the other hand had lagged behind the rest of the group, his expression of fear a reflection of Grian's own feelings; he couldn't imagine Ren was taking any of this very well. As Grian walked, he took deep breaths, willing his anxious heart to stop rattling in his chest. Nothing happened back there, and all the hermits were friends, even if they disagreed sometimes. Then again, he had considered his server mates from Evo as friends, but that ended about as poorly as it could have. He could only hope that when the creature was brought up again, things weren't quite as heated as they were back there.

The beams of sunlight were weak as they passed through the canopy of leaves above, but they still forced Grian to blink tears out of his eyes as they stepped back into the clearing. Instinctively, everyone approached the cage holding Doc, and Grian had to admit it was still a strange sight. One of his own server mates, unconscious in an iron cage. He wasn't unconscious for long however, as their reentry seemed to make him stir. Doc sat up slowly with a groan, massaging his temples as he squinted at his surroundings. He caught sight of Scar immediately, and his shoulders visibly relaxed. "How long was it?"

Scar wrung his hands. "Uh, a couple hours. It's getting worse, but I showed them, and Xisuma is here to help." He gestured to Xisuma, and by extension the rest of the group, and only then did Doc seem to notice them. He tensed up, eyeing everyone warily, though Grian didn't miss the way his eyes shot open wider when he noticed Ren, before glancing back at the ground. He filed that odd behavior away for later.

"We don't need any help," he muttered without looking up.

Xisuma took a cautious step forward. ""Doc, I don't know everything, but I want to help. This... anomaly, is affecting you two, and by the looks of things it's not in a good way. Please, let me get rid of the alien, and then we can get you out of this cage and back to safety." Xisuma held his gloved hands out in a placating manner, but Doc simply stared at him intensely. Out of the corner of his eye, Grian watched Scar wrestle with himself, reaching a hand out to stop Xisuma before pulling back several times, panic growing with each second.

"You want to get rid of them?" Doc growled, climbing to his feet slowly. "Xisumavoid, you have no idea the forces you're messing with here. Take them home and let us keep working." Doc gestured to the spectating hermits without breaking eye contact with Xisuma. The same tension that Scar and X had in the cave could be felt now, and Grian could swear it felt like the air was literally static charged, making his hair stand on end.

"See Doc, this isn't you, I can tell. This thing is getting in your head, and I want to protect you. Let me help you." Xisuma offered again, being careful to keep his tone even, though Grian could tell he was getting worked up again.

"We don't want your help!" He snarled with bared, sharpened teeth. "You can't kill him! YOU CAN'T KILL ME! XISUMAVOID, YOU WILL NOT KILL ME UNTIL MY MISSION IS COMPLETE!" Doc roared, the light in his eyes blinking out into blackness.
Grian felt hot tears pricking at his eyes as he watched the scene unfold with horror. Xisuma didn't seem to be himself either as he straightened his shoulders with a quiet growl, and suddenly things were dissolving before Grian's eyes.

"I'll kill it!" Xisuma yelled, eliciting a cry from Scar. He leapt forward, trying to put distance between X and Doc, but it didn't work. Doc lunged, his arm sticking through the bars of the cage, startling everyone with how far his arms could reach. X was unable to defend himself as Doc got a good scratch across Xisuma's chest piece, sending him stumbling back with a grimace. He glanced down for a moment to inspect the damage, but when he found he wasn't bleeding he turned to Scar. His piercing glare was enough to send the poor man back a step, out of the line of fire between these two hermits blinded by anger. Grian could only look on in horror as they stared each other down, not a glint of mercy behind their eyes. He wanted to step in, he wanted to cry and scream, he wanted it to stop, stop stop.

Xisuma returned to his feet quickly, his shimmering diamond sword drawing a gasp from Scar as he approached the cage again. He hefted the sword high above his head, prepared to bring it down on Doc, but Doc was quicker. With a speed Grian had never seen, Doc dodged to the side of the falling blade at the last moment, grabbing the sharp shaft with his metallic hand and yanking swiftly. Startled by the change, Xisuma could do nothing as the blade was yanked out of his hands and pointed right back at him. Xisuma backed up with a grimace, but pulled out his bow, undeterred. He nocked an arrow, and Doc held the sword carefully, aiming to block the arrow when it came.

Something happened next however, something that no one could have expected. A twisting vine rocketed out of the ground at Xisuma's feet, knocking the arrow out of the air as he loosed it, and the shock sent him stumbling away wide-eyed. Silence fell over the clearing as the tendril returned to the earth like nothing had happened. The only sound in the clearing was the panting of the winded combatants and the faint bubbling of the stream in the distance.

"Please, just stop," Scar sobbed, fruitlessly trying to wipe away the tears as they poured down his face. He stood, now the center of everyone's attention with one arm outstretched, pointed to the ground where the vine had emerged. If you had asked Grian yesterday if magic was real, he would have laughed in their face, but anyone could tell there was a palpable energy radiating off Scar as he eyed them all warily. He took another moment to calm his crying, and he hiccuped as he spoke up again. "Please, can't you see Xisuma? He's powerful, and we need to keep him safe. We can make a bunker. We can contain him. But please, don't kill him, and don't kill Doc. It's not his fault, it's mine," His voice cracked as he begged, the pure pain echoing in every word.

Xisuma stood slowly, seemingly unsure what to do with himself. "I'm- I'm sorry, I don't- don't know what came over me. I don't think I understand what's happening here, but I think you two know how to fix it. Can I trust you Scar?" His voice was quiet and hollow; Grian had never seen the admin so repentant and fearful before.

Scar nodded. "We'll build it here. Don't let anyone get close, and don't tell the other hermits; I don't want them worrying too." Scar seemed to be recovering now, and he smiled weakly. "Just go back to normal life; I promise I'll keep Doc safe."

Xisuma nodded ever so slightly, seemingly still in just as much shock as everyone else. "Let's go everyone, this isn't a place for us."

As they silently walked out of the clearing, Grian risked one last glance backwards. Doc locked eyes with him, the fear and pain in his eyes piercing Grian to his core. Scar looked on as well, sadness filling his vision as he watched them walk away. Grian spun back around quickly, following Xisuma into the forest.

It was a painfully silent walk home.

We've reaching a turning point 👀

Love you, my little stars!
-RaeTheStar