[    Authors note:
This is a backstory oneshot for another book of mine, Spitting Lies 'Till Your Demise, a collab fic with Pit-and-Chase. It can however be read as a standalone oneshot.

Ao3 notes:
Anyways, before we get into this, there's a few things I would like to say.
This oneshot is a backstory — flashbacky story about Evil X's character in my other book, Spitting Lies 'Till Your Demise. A prelude, if you will. However, you can still read this as a standalone fic.
Although I had a few things in mind for Ex's character and backstory while writing, most of this oneshot was winged. I tried keeping everything as consistent to the story as possible.

This oneshot was originally also written as a part of a prompt thing. I do not know if I'll continue it and make two more oneshots for the challenge, but yeah. If you read through the oneshot, you might figure out what the challenge was.

A few other things:
1. All name changes EX experiences throughout this oneshot are in fact intentional
2. Ex's friends are based on Minecraft Creepypastas, and Jeff the Puppet   ]

Original Publish Date: 10/30/22

Word Count: 3614 words

Warnings and Disclaimers:
 - Hurt No Comfort
 - Contains Religious Cult Imagery (The Watchers)
 - Mentioned Violence
 - Unreliable Narrator

Major Characters:
 - Evil Xisuma
 - Xisuma

Short Summary:

[    Inside of him, there was a fire.
It's flames burnt on his resentment, all his bitterness, using his envy as the fuel.

As he grew up, it only got bigger. Now, it burns whatever dares touches it.   ]
( A look into Ex's character in Spitting Lies 'Till Your Demise, a quick glance from his past all the way to him becoming a watcher.)

+---+---+

Xhilium was always the evil twin. They always were.

They were always a mere shadow in their twin's presence. An irrelevant clone. A hollow copy.

In the background, where no one cares enough to act like they were even there. A nobody

Without Xisuma, they were just a hollow shell, a pebble on the side of the road. A crunchy leaf you step on and immediately forget about.

Once a nobody, always a nobody.

To them, their existence itself cried pitiful . No matter what their brother said, telling him otherwise.

Nonsense. Lies. How would he even know anything about it?

Even in the family, they were a nuisance at best. Xisuma was the golden child, the favorite. They were the spare. No one would want anything to do with him. Why would they?

They despised it. They despised it all to the pits of the void.

Everyone saw them as nothing. Just a speck of dust to be swept away.

Maybe that's why.

There was always some sort of fire inside of them. Hatred, resentment. There was always something burning in them. From the beginning, to the end.

Maybe that's why they jumped at the immediate opportunity to have somewhere they were comfortable with. With people like them.

Xisuma had always tried to be nice to them as well, but they always brush him off. In his presence alone, they felt belittled.

Yet, Xisuma still tried taking care of them, was always concerned for them.

***

"Xhi, you really need to stop playing with those kids," Xisuma lectured, holding their arm up, concern clear in his face. "Everyday you come home with more bruises!"

They flinched, but didn't fight back against his hold. Instead, choosing to narrow his eyes. "They're my friends."

He let go of their arm, sighing. "I know they are. I'm worried about the influence they have on you."

There it is is again. The talk about 'they have a bad influence on you' . "Oh, what did your friends tell you this time?" Xhilium grumbled, almost spitefully.

"Hypno told me that he watched as you tried helping your squad fight 'sky deities' ." Xisuma deadpanned.

"Oh course it's always Hypno," They groaned, promptly before rolling their eyes. "Look okay, he doesn't know shit, we're just doing fun things. Nothing more than that."

It was Xisuma's turn to raise a brow. "Last time I checked, fist fights and near death experiences are, in fact, not included in the 'fun friends activity' category."

"We're not causing too much trouble, I don't see why you're so worked up about it."

"The bruises, Xhil!" Xisuma frowned. "You can't keep coming back with bruises everyday and expect us to not be worried."

"Then just don't be worried."

" Xhil !"

For a moment, it was unsettlingly quiet. Xisuma looked at the expression fully telling how worried he was, how unsatisfied he was with how they were acting. They both stood in silence for a moment, before Xhilium signed in resignation.

"Fine, I'll ask them to dial it down a little. Maybe we won't do it again. No promises."

Xisuma smiled, softly and satisfied. "Thank you, Xhi."

They looked at their twin, before looking away.

Xhilium Void, the shadow in their own family. A thorn, a trouble and always in trouble. That was who they were. From the very beginning.

***

Perhaps that's why, one day, he crossed the line. The line his family had made, the one that separated the void from the rest of everything.

Although it was an accident. It wasn't something he'd see coming. He'd see happening. But it did, and he was above happy with it.

He had left the void. Thanks to an accident. One that Xisuma already told him would happen, but he ignored. And he was so goddamned happy he did.

The next place, the first place he actually knew. He didn't even know his homeland that well, so he never counted the Void as 'home'.

This was his first home, one he was comfortable with, even if at first, he was lost among the magma. The dense atmosphere of the Nether. The thick, unswallowable air.

The place was bubbling. It was burning. It burnt him .

Yet he somehow didn't hate it here.

The creatures underneath the magma, the ones that thrive in the fire, and the children of the flames. It all recognized him as one of their own. It recognized the darkness, the fire inside of him. It welcomed him with open arms.

Soon enough, Xernes was living within the bastions, running around in the fortresses. He laughed with the piglins, brawling with the wither skeletons. The nether gave him strength, it gave him its blessings.

For the first time in forever, he felt content .

For the first time in forever, he felt alive.

Xernes learnt how to fight. He learnt how to live. He was something more. He learnt so much more.

That was his second life.

But then, soon enough, everything fell down.

It was as if it was all just a distant dream, and now he awoke.

His family had found him. They weren't happy. They wanted to take him back to the void.

It was at that moment, Xernes snapped. He didn't want to go back. He couldn't go back.

Yet regardless, everything still crumbled.

And he was back to living in the lifeless, shallow black void.

***

"Xh- Xernes," Xisuma called out. " Xernes ,"

The lump beneath blankets on the sofa only shifted one bit, the only bit of response he got. "Come out, please, it's almost time for dinner."

Silence.

Sighing, he walked over to the couch. "Xernes, brother, please. We're worried about you."

A head popped out of the sheets, scorning. "You know, maybe just stop lying about that. You all aren't worried for shit." The albino narrowed his eyes, looking beyond Xisuma. "I clearly see that dinner isn't even ready yet."

"It'll be ready in a minute, I told you," He said, looking awfully concerned. Xernes hated that look with a burning passion. "Come on, brother, cheer up. Are you still mad about..." He trailed off when the bodiless head glared at him.

Nothing more was said, and Xernes popped back into the blanket, disappearing. Never to be seen again.

Or so he wishes.

***

"Stop dragging me!" Xernes hissed, taking his burning hands back from the other. "You all never even told me what we were doing."

"Calm down, edgelord, jeez," Jeff rolled his eyes, one hand on his other where he was slapped. "We're not kidnapping you."

"We wanted to try recreating whatever we did with you months ago!"

Xernes stopped, pausing for a long moment. "You... what?"

"Last time, idiot, you know, when we were practicing spells before you completely went missing and your parents tried to get us compensated." Brian reminded with a scoff. "We wanted to try seeing if we could do it again and maybe send all of us at once through whatever the purple portal you went through was."

"You guys..." He trailed off, disbelieved. "Want to go there?"

"Dude, we heard from your twin that after they found you they had to forcefully drag you back, and even now," Othri laughed. "You seem like you're still sulking."

"How amazing is it?" Brian continued. "So much so that you became antisocial for weeks when they dragged you back."

He couldn't say anything back. Honestly, he actually liked the sound of that. Going back to the nether. He liked the Nether, and maybe if they liked it too and lived there with him, life wouldn't be so difficult anymore. So he agreed.

How naive he was to think it would be that easy.

Instead, the world exploded. And almost literally too.

The portal didn't work. Instead, it burnt purple flames, and before they could even blink, the damage was done.

He didn't know where the others went, but when he came to, he was still in front of the now ruined... frame?

It was chipped, not like how they had left it when they did whatever they did. 4 parts of the frame were missing. Now, it was like two Ls faced opposite with each other, with two dots on each end. It created some sort of frame.

And then, as if it was a portal, it lit up.

The world around Xernes froze. It was almost like everything around him went grayscale, safe for the violet fire that roared inside the incomplete obsidian frame.

And then, there was a voice.

"Xernes Void." He looked around rapidly to see who was talking. There was nobody around. "We have been watching you for a while."

He panicked, felt his head becoming heavy. "Who- Who are you!?"

Just as he said that, the fire diminished, the portal cracked.

Everything went back to normal. It seemed to have.

He was about to inspect the portal, curious, when a hand was on his shoulder. He froze.

He had never turned around nearly as fast his entire life, slapping the fuck out of whoever was-

Oh, it was Xisuma.

"Xernes!" His brother grumbled, having fallen to the ground from the impact of the slap. "What was that for!?"

He breathed, feeling his heart rate had quickened. "Not my fault you startled me, dumbass !"

Xernes didn't help, and just watched as Xisuma got back up, murmuring one or two curses of his own.

"Don't you realize how long you've been gone for?" Xisuma asked, voice almost deadpanned.

He blinked. How long has it been since he fell unconscious? "About an hour?"

"An entire day !"

Oh. "I... what?" He didn't have a retort for that. An entire day. He was gone for an entire day.

"Don't you realize how worried we all were!?" His brother continued, completely pale and frustrated. "Your friends already came back before you, and they all said that they could've swore you ran with them! We thought you had died! "

"Well- I- I don't die, you already know that!"

Xisuma scoffed, like actually scoffed. "You're actually insufferable," He didn't give the other a chance to say anything else, grabbing him by the collar of his sweater, ignoring his instant complaints and struggling. "We're going home."

Home .

That word really ticked him off. It really did, but he was unable to say anything as Xisuma was actually dragging them now.

"I can walk just fine on my own, you know!"

Xisuma stopped, and dropped him onto the ground.

"HEY!"

"Payback," The other said, though his tone quickly became serious again. "When we get home, don't be surprised when you get a scolding."

He swore under his breath as Xisuma extended a hand to help him up, though he swatted it away and got up on his own. For the rest of the walk, neither said anything.

Xernes couldn't stop glancing back at the ruined frame, the mysterious voice recorded clearly in his head.

***

The symbol. The frame.

It kept appearing in his dreams.

The voices got louder.

He tried figuring what it was, he had asked his parents, but the only answer he got was more yelling.

After that, he completely shut himself. In his room, alone.

But despite his parent's repeated warnings, their scolding, he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to know what the voices were. He wanted to know what the symbol meant.

So, he got his friends to help him, as he would with everything else. Although they were at first skeptical of what he had told them, they wanted to know as well. They all got to work fairly quickly, researching for records, asking the people around, and they yielded results.

Quite the results, in fact.

The Watchers.

It appears they have caught the interest of the watchers.

***

"Xernes Void."

Silence, a voice spoke out.

"Xernes Void."

He snapped awake.

There it is again. Each night. It seemed to manifest in his room. Though he can't tell where, he could feel it's — their — presence engulfing the room, freezing all. It was creepy every time.

But tonight, as he opened his eyes, he realized something was different .

There was blinding light. It was everywhere. He couldn't see. It was in his room. It was directly above his bed. What the fuck .

"We've been watching you."

"Yeah, I know," He murmured, trying to adjust to the brightness. But he couldn't. It was unbelievably bright. "You've said that to me about twenty times now.

"We sense your frustrations. We've seen your suffering."

"I bet."

"We can help you with all of it."

The light shifted around, as if the figure was walking around the room.

"We have been observing you and your friends, your need to adventure. Your desire to take control back of your life." They spoke, their voice was... echoey. A bit hard to decipher. "We can help you."

Hesitantly, he sat up on the bed. "Who... who are you? The watchers, right?"

"We, Xernes, are your saviours." It stated, as if it's a well known fact at this point. The echo in its voice only got louder, seeming to go through everything. "Come with us, and we will show you all. Give you all. You will be above. Above even that brother of yours."

He stared into the empty whiteness for a moment, contemplating. "Can you really do that?"

"We can do everything, Xernes." It told. "We are the Gods, we are the heavens. We are the End, and we come to you today." A hand was extended towards him, but he still couldn't make out any details on the figure. "You and your friends will get much better destinies in our hands. Much better lives than being outcasted, ostracized, for just trying to be who you are."

Hesitantly though almost convinced, he took the hand, and stood up.

"Join us, Xernes. We will show you everything you want. We will gift you with everything you've ever wanted."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

***

"You can't be serious."

It's now the next morning. He had bragged to Xisuma about what happened. His twin was now looking at him in absolute horror. "Xernes, you didn't actually join them, right? Please tell me you didn't."

He smirked. "Oh, I did, alright."

Xisuma was not pleased. "Dad warned you multiple times to ignore them!" He reminded. "He told; you they were dangerous beings!"

"Oh hush about it, Suma." Xernes waved off, still smiling. He hasn't felt like he wanted to smile as much as now. It felt refreshing, oh so refreshing, seeing his twin actually look horrified. "You don't know shit about what you're talking about. You weren't the one choosen."

The heavens have choosen him. They have choosen him as a vassal. He was confident, they had everything he would ever want. Everything he would ever need.

Just like his brother, he knew the rest of his family — the rest of the void, wouldn't be too proud nor pleased with what he had done.

But fuck them. Fuck them all to hell. He didn't care.

Xisuma sighed, knowing he couldn't convince Xernes out of this. "You're insane, you really are," He remarked, walking away to breakfast.

The darkness cries. The darkness lies. Xanthus rose up from the ashes of the light.

This was the third.

***

As they grew up, his brother was finally crowned as the family's heir, the title of Void Admin he got shone brightly.

He was still stuck in the background.

He wasn't jealous.

He wasn't bitter.

He didn't envy his brother.

He did not.

And now, he was back to being a mere shadow, tasked to follow and protect his brother.

He didn't want to.

He hated it.

But the heavens told him to play along.

And so he did.

He watched as Xisuma coloured the world, bringing life into everything he touched. Inflicting giddy and laughter into everything he touched.

He gave life to everything, but left behind his own blood kind. His own brother.

He didn't notice when his path took a darker turn.

He didn't notice when he started gritting his teeth.

He didn't notice the fire burning stronger.

He didn't notice, until it was too late.

Purely out of spite, he started messing his job up on purpose. Up until now, his brother's friends didn't even realize his existence. Now, they would only fear his name.

A destructive force, past amiss, someone not to trust, for chaos is the only thing he lusts.

Out of the fire, evil was born .

There was destruction, there was mischief.

There was malice, there was hatred.

It was the fourth.

And it would be the last.

***

"Xanthus of the Void."

Kneeling down upon the silver altar, his body shook. A giant figure loomed over him, observing his every move, even the slightest twitch of his head. Sweat trickled down his head, breathing as steady as he could manage.

The air of the ender filled his lungs. His head as well.

Figures upon figures were lined up on the sides, watching the ceremony with interest in their eyes. He couldn't see who they were even if he'd wanted to, for they wore masks. Porcelain, crystalized, embodying the spirit of the ender.

"Do you swear oath, that your loyalty is within us?"

As the voice boomed, electricity flowed through his blood. Every hair on his skin stood up. He flinched, but acted unaffected.

"My loyalty lies within the Gods of the End, Now and until I breathe my last breath."

"Do you swear oath, that your mind and body is one with us?"

"My mind and body are set to be the vassal for the Enders, God of all, power unrivaled." His voice was as robotic as he could get it, as loud as he could without screaming.

"Do you swear oath, that your existence is to be devoted entirely in us, to us, for the rest of eternity?"

"For all eternity, I shall dedicate my will to the End. For the end."

"Do you swear oath, that you will be willing to throw everything away, all of your possessions, all of your mind, all of your cares, all of your mortal thoughts, for the enders?"

He took a long exhale, nervous though swelling with pride.

"My life belongs to the Enders. I'd betray my friends for confetti, I'd kill my family for candy, I'd destroy everyone and everything for the Enders. From now, to the rest of eternity, the rest of existence."

The figure went silent, examining him for a second. The sparks running through his veins only have increased in magnitudes. He was getting dizzy, he might actually collapse. But he held on.

"Do you swear on oath?"

"I swear on oath."

A zap went through his entire body, as if a sharp pain exploded from every vein in his body. And then abruptly stopped, leaving him gasping for the scarce air.

"Go forth, Xanthus." It said, "Carry on and finish your mission. Destroy the foes of the Ender, and complete the oath."

"My word, my honor."

...

As the ceremony ended, he could practically hear himself sighed in relief. He stood up from his position, getting used to the magic that has activated itself inside of him. Everyone else in the room started to disperse.

Then, he felt a hard hand on his shoulder, flinching.

"So, it's finally time." A blond, masked watcher smiled at him, tone fairly cheerful. "Congrats on being officiated, Xanthus. We will be waiting for results while you complete your oath.
"You will accomplish a lot for us, Xanthus." Jaxa chuckled, before turning around to leave as well as he stayed still in the ceremony room.

He is the watchers.

He is the Enders.

Ender of Worlds, now until forever.

His first task was already given to him; the destruction of everything his brother ever cared about. Burning it all down like the waste it is. To the ground. To ashes.

The pathetic colors of his world.

As he met eyes with the one who had overshadowed him his entire life, blue sapphire met crimson red. Everything had shattered. And then, he laughed.

He had gotten stronger than him. He had always been stronger than him.

But as the ashes settled down, the fire started to die, his eyes awake.

He could hear cries of agony from all across the world, the bubbling hatred in his brother's eyes. It all made something in him clenched. Cry as well. Cry like the ones on the field.

He realized.

He was still weak.

He had always been weak.

He was never anything like his brother.

He never had the chance to be anything like his brother. And now, he'll never get it.

Humanity still ran in his veins, despite the inhuman magic that coexisted with it in his blood. It ran around him, filling up his mind. And he felt it there.

Memories of past lives reemerged themselves, it basically took his back, his past selves making him see.

His brother, angry, but thoroughly defeated.

His fire was burnt by something else.

Regret.

He couldn't finish this.

He didn't want to finish this.

Why did he do this?

What purpose did he have to go this far, to take away the lives of which were precious?

Did he envy them, because they were worth more than his?

"EX." He heard Xisuma ask, defeated and weak, staring down at the ground as the server was ravished. EX had never seen such a look on his face, he hated it more than every other expression he'd seen on him. "...why?"

And his hand clenched, he bit his lip.

"I am your evil side." He started slowly, carefully. His tone was still, almost a whisper. "To the end, we'll live, or both die."

+---+---+