Totally NOT listening to "The Good In Me" on loop.

NOPE.

We're back with our Watchy boy! And Mumbo! Back to half-perspectives! Woo!

I'm ALSO totally NOT neglecting my other book!

*sigh*

This chapter takes place at the same time as the last.

WC: ~770 (This is short, I'm sorry.)

Enjoy!

Grian spun the broken mask in his hand, then promptly flung it at the tree. That's what he had been doing since Mumbo left. Throwing the mask halves like weapons. The tree would never be the same.

It was dark out, probably past midnight. Mumbo had just left the house, very secretively, Grian might add. The Watcher sighed. It was so much easier to just pretend he didn't know that Mumbo was meeting with the other Hermits. But... it was obvious. So obvious.

Why else would he sneak out in the middle of the night? Why else would he have boated in the direction of the Shopping District? Why would he have checked his communicator about a thousand times? Why else would he have glanced at the 'sleeping' body of Grian countless times? It all only added up to one thing.

The Hermits were meeting to discuss how to get rid of him.

Another sigh escaped Grian's lips. He knew it was inevitable. But... going back to the Watchers just didn't feel right. He hated them. The Hermits hated him. And the Watchers. 

I'm starting to get sick of hatred. 

Grian suppressed at third sigh, then went to retrieve his makeshift throwing stars.

X-

Grian froze at the voice. No, no, no. His thoughts whispered. He pressed his hands to his head. He was certain he had heard a voice. Was it his own? The Watcher concentrated, but couldn't hear anything. Maybe I imagined it... 

X-- x---

Grian whipped around, fear in his eyes. The voice sounded as if it were... glitching? It was blurred and distorted, but...

That's Zena alright.

She's breaching the blocking.

SHE'S BREAKING THE SERVER BLOCKING!

Panic flew through all of Grian's veins. The Watcher pressed his hands to his skull and tried to find Zena. He was certain the Watcher was hiding in his mental mindspace. But... her distorted, broken, glitchy voice didn't reappear. A migraine was forming, and Grian didn't bother trying to fight it. 

Was Zena here?

Grian desperately listened for her voice again, pressing against the walls of his mental space. Everything felt oddly glitchy.

Was... Zena breaking his mind?

It was a possibility.

Grian!

The voice wasn't Zena's.

It was miles away. 

Universes away.

It glitched just like everything else.

The distortion was overwhelming.

What happened?!

Grian tried to grab the voice, to understand where it was coming from.

It was just glitches. 

Am I a glitch?

Grian shook away the thought, reminding himself that it made no sense.

The pain was overwhelming.

Even his own mental voice was coming out distorted.

His mind was a mess of darkness, pain, and glitches.

Grian was confused.

Please.

It was a mental plead.

A plead for help.

Did he need help?

No.

Or did he?

The darkness was overwhelming.

The pain was overwhelming.

Why was everything glitching?

Grian wasn't sure.

Suddenly, another wave of pain, stronger than before, crashed over him.

It sent fire throughout his entire mind.

It swept away every thought.

Grian was knocked into a state of unconsciousness.

POV Shift: Mumbo

Mumbo hadn't expected much for when he came back to the island. He had expected to come back to a silent landscape. And... it was silent.

But then he noticed the figure crouched on the ground.

Mumbo parked the boat and dashed over. Grian was huddled on the ground, his hands pressed to his head, his expression of pure pain.

"Grian!" Mumbo yelped, kneeling down. "What happened?!" A layer of urgency and panic coated his voice. Rightfully so.

Grian didn't respond.

Mumbo tried to shake him awake, but the Watcher's expression of pain only worsened at Mumbo's touch. Silent tears started streaming down Grian's face, sending Mumbo into a state of panic. 

"Please," Mumbo whispered. Wake up. Mumbo was unsure of what to do. Touching Grian just led to more pain. But... he was in such a bad state. What's going on??

Mumbo's thoughts were cut off by a shriek. A blood-curdling scream from Grian. Mumbo grabbed the Watcher and pulled him close, and his body went limp. 

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! Mumbo's mind was a mess of confusion and frantic thoughts as he cradled the now-unconscious Watcher. I leave for ONE HOUR-

"Maybe X'll know?" Mumbo thought out loud. "No... I don't want to worry him at this time." Mumbo sighed, but only to cover up his worry. Grian's face was still twisted in pain, so Mumbo did the only logical thing.

Carried him to the house and hoped that things would get better in the morning.

It was the only thing he could do. 

Laying Grian down, Mumbo then laid down himself and watched Grian until he fell asleep.

Will he be okay?

There you go! I'm done here! *silently dies*

-Storm