(chapTER EXTRA LARGE-
(I was thinking about this the other day: I never specified on my ocs' accent. you dont know. i dont know. for all we know quinn could have a russian accent. Idk thats up to you guys.)
(in honor of XL, this chapter is longer than normal, about 2600 words)

A gust of cold air brushed against my skin. I shivered and pulled the sheets on top of myself, curling into a small ball. Outside, I heard the occasional rocket fire, the rattling of a skeleton, the groan of a zombie... but the mobs eventually burned to a crisp as the sun came up.

I forced my eyes open, squinting. A ceiling of end rods dangling on purple stained glass was the first thing I saw.

Though I haven't been here before, I heard about this place from the other Hermits. I was in the main room of Stress's castle.

The bed I laid on had red coverings. I grasped the sheets, making sure I was physical in the world this time.

I gazed around, rubbing my eyes. Stress's base was eerily quiet. All light sources were dimmed. Looking down at my body, my clothes have been replaced with fresh new ones, athletic shorts and a white shirt. I'd have to find my sweater and jeans soon. There was no more blood or dirt on me. I wonder who had cleaned it off. My ribs and ankle were wrapped tightly, and the smaller injuries were cleaned and bandaged.

There were about ten beds total. The bed to my right was empty, the sheets haphazardly thrown away. The others were in all different states of neatness.

"Grian? Alright there, mate?" Mumbo asked. He slipped his communicator in his pocket and came closer to my bedside.

"Yeah, I think so," I said, staring up at the ceiling. Mumbo pulled a chair up and sat on the edge, leaning forwards with his fingers tightly laced together.

"You sure? You were out for five days," he said. It took a moment for me to comprehend what he said. I snapped my head towards Mumbo, startling him.

"Five days?" I repeated, eyes widening. Mumbo sensed my panic and quickly shook his head.

"Nothing happened while you were out," he said before pausing and tilting his head. "Well..."

"I'm listening." I sat up, propping myself up against the soft pillows.

"Doc and I found Xisuma crying a few hours ago." I nodded. It wasn't too late to talk to him... if he is still awake, that is. "He's sleeping right now. We're going to let him rest. He was losing sleep over the fact that you were missing." Closing my eyes, I looked down into my lap. I exhaled a long and disappointed sigh.

Xisuma's sleep deprived because I was an idiot and got caught. Even though he is the main admin and is tasked with the job of taking care of the server and it's members, he didn't have to put his health at risk.

A few times in the past, I would think about what would have happened if I didn't get taught by the Watchers. First of all, this entire mess wouldn't have happened. However, though they were teaching players and later using them to take over Minecraft, it makes me wonder if there are other types of hidden magic out there. Could there be some that are more powerful than our magic besides that Creator magic?

"Hey, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault they took you and stuff," Mumbo tried, pulling me out of my thoughts. I shook my head slowly, looking into my lap. I lightly traced the burns on my left thigh that came from Lynnthuic during that duel. It had never healed, and I doubt it will.

"It's... nothing. Anything else?" I warily asked, looking around. "Where's Zachariah?"

"Evi- um, EX was last seen a few hours ago. He left this place to do... whatever he does," Mumbo said. I put a hand to my forehead, rubbing it gently.

That argument between the brothers will have to be resolved eventually before it's too late. Now would not be a good idea. They're both probably emotional wrecks. Later might be too late as the plan I formulated to stop the Watchers was risky.

Mumbo and I sat in silence. The arctic air blew into the room again. I pulled the sheets around me again, a feeble attempt that half-worked. Mumbo pointed to a chest that was under the bed. I opened it and found one of my many red sweatshirts, grey jeans, and dark grey converses. I quietly thanked him and changed into the clothing that I had grown accustomed to since I was born.

Fireworks rang in the distance before a familiar Swede swooped in through an entrance. He grinned like a Cheshire cat when he saw us, avoiding the glass and end rods that could cause an embarrassing death if you flew into one hard enough.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Iskall called out, gracefully looping up and landing a few blocks away from the bed. He stumbled slightly, but the trick made up for it. Mumbo raised an amused eyebrow as Iskall glared at him.

"Landing got difficult?" He snickered. Iskall rolled his eyes.

"Says the one who tried to fly without an elytra on more than one time." Iskall shifted out of the way as Mumbo tried to slap his shoulder. Mumbo sank back into his chair with a lazy smile tugging at his lips.

"Now, alright, you didn't have to blast me like that," he said, chuckling. Iskall smiled and turned his attention to me.

"Nothing wrong?" He asked. I cocked an eyebrow at him, trying my best to keep a straight face.

"Do you guys want something to be wrong?" I brought my legs in and crossed them. "That can happen very quickly-"

"What no peace is great thank you," Mumbo quickly said, shaking his head with wide eyes. I chuckled. We sat in silence for a few awkward moments before collectively bursting out into more chuckles.

"So, uh, what do we do now?" Iskall asked, tilting his head and scratching his chin. Mumbo shrugged in response. I only looked around the make-shift infirmary, taking in my environment. The wooden platform nicely fits with the dull grey stone bricks. The blocks used gave the relatively empty room a splash of variety, especially with the mini chandeliers that hung from the ceiling.

Looking towards the open entryway, I saw a lone figure standing there, almost blending in with the shadows.

I hadn't seen him earlier. Quinn was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and head dipped. His blond hair fell over his eyes, hiding them. He wore short sleeve robes whose sleeves barely covered his shoulders. The boots and pants were probably the same, and the bottom of the robe was just above his knees (which is usually brushing the floor).

"Quinn?" I quietly called out, not wanting to disturb him too much. He was still an instructor and older than I am, so I should give him some space. He lifted his head, indicating he was listening. "What are you doing?"

"Just... thinking," he shortly replied in a clipped tone. I hummed, turning my attention back to Iskall and Mumbo. They sat quietly, knowing to not get on anyone's bad side. "It's about what Yavin said. He's... he's right, you know. I did teach him. I did save him. Because of what I did for him, I broke him when I made it clear I betrayed him," Quinn continued, much to my surprise. It must bother him, as he was never one to elaborate on his thoughts.

"... You what?" He sighed at my question, rubbing his eyes. He finally turned towards us, sitting on the edge of one of the nearby beds. It must have been the one he used because his dirk was on the table.

"Maybe it's finally about time I finally tell someone about Yavin's story. Not even some instructors know." He sat back, formally crossing his legs and setting his hands on his lap. Out of the corner of my eyes, Iskall and Mumbo shared a look. Maybe they understood how important this was? Quinn cleared his throat, a cloudy haze in his eyes as if he had zoned out.

"I was... maybe thirty nine when I was sent on my first mission as an instructor. The area I was assigned to was a relatively small server, not very rich at all. The entire place was almost in ruins, but from what I saw, that's just how they lived. Everyone was in quite a bad state too. Dressed in rags, dirt and blood staining their skin, hair all disheveled...

"After looking around for a while, I was about to quit looking because I couldn't sense any presence of Watcher magic. I walked through a few more deserted cobblestone streets, there was barely a flicker of magic on the far side of the road.

"I darted towards it, hoping it was someone I could take back with me. Lo and behold, a small player was shivering and curled into a small ball, hidden under the almost dead bushes. He must have been only about nine or ten years old, I don't really remember.

"He looked at me, dead in the eyes. Goodness, to this day they still haunt me. Those bright blue sapphire eyes looked at me with such pain and suffering it almost broke me. They were lined with tears, and some already slid down his cheek. He never told me his name so I just gave him one. He did, however, tell me that his parents left him there to die alone because of a small and simple mistake he made earlier. Absurd really, that reasoning was.

"After tracking down his parents and having a loud argument, I took him with me to keep him out of danger's way. It did get slightly physical, but no one was hurt beyond healing.

"After that day, I took care of him like a parent. Because of that, he was exposed to magic much earlier. He begged me to learn at first, but the other instructors forbade me to. He was furious for a long time, but eventually, he accepted it.

"Fast forward a few years. He was so excited to finally learn at the age of fifteen. He's waited about years. At some point, I became a young member of the Predominant Council, which meant I could finally change the rules... but I didn't. I never told him about it. How he found out eventually, I have no clue, but he didn't care at that time.

"In the time I was with him, I knew he looked up to me..." Quinn paused here, glancing my way. "And not just because of height, I was just tall at that point in time." My tip twitched upwards in amusement as Quinn continued. "I was obviously his favorite teacher. He usually talked to me while classes were out. He got older... and I noticed how he was trying to be like me. As flattered as I was, I knew something was off.

"Since I watched him grow up... I saw his unforgiving nature to the other students, and sometimes to the other instructors. I saw as he taunted and poked fun at the younger ones, the smaller ones, and the ones that weren't as gifted as him those who couldn't do magic just as well. I tried telling him that it wasn't right, but he said... he said, 'they deserve it, no?' It was that moment, that phrase when I realized how bad we messed up." Quinn sunk against the headboard, lowering his head.

"Combining the horrible past he had, the harsh treatment, and his personality, he was probably one of the most cold-hearted kids I have ever seen in my life. That behavior he's always used when he was younger had bled into his adulthood, and it won't change ever. It's too late for correcting." Quinn turned to me, his eyes boring into mine.

"And for that, I... I would like to apologize," he said, shoulders squeezing together as he slumped.

"What?" I visibly pulled back, eyebrows squeezed together and a frown set on my lips.

"It wasn't right to treat the students almost to the point where it's traumatizing. We rarely speak or think about the harsh treatment because you've gotten used to it over the six years, but... it's wrong."

"What actually happened?" Mumbo said, speaking up for the first time in a while. Quinn furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head.

"He never told you?"

"Barely, he just said that it was six consecutive years of learning. I mean, if they kidnapped him, we assumed it's bad, but he never talked about it, we never asked." Mumbo replied, looking my way. I shrugged, propping my foot up on another bed and crossing them.

"They want the Watchers we teach to be perfect so it's easier to control once they put that mask on. In order to do that, they have to establish some type of system to make sure the Watcher's were perfect. Physical punishment was the most common and most effective." Quinn shook his head and looked into his lap. "They are quite power-hungry by going to extreme lengths to make sure it's easier for them. Especially Yavin. I'm almost a hundred percent sure he thinks power is the best thing in the world and he needs it. I think he enjoys giving out punishment because it's how he felt, and knowing him, karma and revenge is another important thing."

I sat back, digesting all the information Quinn dumped on us. It makes sense now. It makes sense why Yavin's so cold and rude to the others. It makes sense the other instructors don't like him. That's why he takes joy in hurting others when they make a mistake. The others don't understand. A bad past doesn't always make the person's action right, but it explains them.

"And how long ago did you find him?" I finally asked. Quinn sat still for a moment, thinking.

Without looking up, he said, "... about sixty years ago?"

"Wait, that means you're about a hundred years old!" Mumbo said, eyes widening.

"Woah, maths," Iskall snickered. Quinn nodded, not acknowledging the extra comment.

"Watcher magic is weird, especially the golden type. It breaks all known laws of Watcher magic, which is probably what is making me live longer than the average Watcher. I have never studied it. I've tried many times to stop the Watchers from behind the scenes, but no attempt of mine worked, not even with the rare golden magic. Got really close one time, but not exactly."

"Well then, we could totally do something about them soon." I said, picking the dirt from my fingernails. My former instructor was taken aback before he narrowed his eyes.

"You got a plan?" Quinn asked, picking the dirk off the table and aimlessly messing around with it. I dipped my head once.

"A dangerous one."

"Better than none."

"Wait, are we actually-" Iskall started.

"Yes. I don't want to bring all the Hermits-"

"You know they're going to insist on coming, you can't stop them." I looked at Mumbo, wrinkling my nose and pouting my lips. He laughed, knowing he was one hundred percent correct.

"I hate it when you're right," I said, punching Mumbo in the shoulder.

"Going to tell us now or later?"

"Soon, but not now. I need to do a few things before we actually put our lives on the line." I explain, clenching my fists together under the sheets. They nodded, Mumbo and Iskall albeit hesitant.

They, however, don't understand what could go wrong in that short period of time.

But I'm willing to take my chances if it means peace.