As the castle became increasingly closer, Xisuma couldn't help but feel his stomach twist into nervous knots.

He tried his best to hide it from the other hermits, taking lead of the group as they wandered down the main road, though the admin had no doubt in his mind that things could go horribly wrong. The castle didn't look so scary from the outskirts of the kingdom, and now it seemed to loom over them, the sun hiding behind one of the towers to give the palace a dark shadow.

Each step that he took sent another thought of worry through his mind, Xisuma beginning to spiral down a rabbit hole of stress and dismay. There wasn't any other options, he knew that, but this was all so terrifying. They could always respawn back on hermitcraft, but here? Would they? And what if they were caught? What would be their fate then?

"So...the others should be inside." Grian spoke, his voice managing to pull the man in purple armor back to reality, realizing that the group had found themselves in front of the castle gates.

"We should stick together," Doc growled, uneasy at the eerie silence of the city's surroundings. "Xisuma, what's our plan from here?"

The admin blinked. Right. Plan. "E-erm," he stuttered quietly, too busy caught up in his own worry to imagine what to do once they arrived. "I agree that we should stick together, we don't have any weapons. We would be helpless alone. But, besides that... I guess we should head inside...?"

His words didn't sound confident, more like he was questioning what the best course of action would be. "M-maybe we should take a look around the castle grounds, in case of any traps..?"

"Traps?" A sudden voice asked, causing all of the hermits to jump. A figure holding a shulker box was a bit further away, working on tending to the plants and greenery around the castle.

They had long, orange hair that was decorated with yellow and white flowers. On their head they had something that looked similar to deer antlers, with their ears pointed like an elf. They wore a green shirt and brown overalls, as well as a black mask that covered their eyes.

She slightly giggled at hermits, who were all clearly nervous and on-edge. "I'm sorry, it's just funny that you'd think that. There has never been traps on the castle ground, nor would we ever need them."

Joe shared a look with Xisuma, stepping a bit closer to the mysterious stranger. "Why is that, exactly?" He asked.

"Anyone who enters the castle will come out peaceful and understanding, why need to set traps or defenses when our leader can protect us with a wave of their hand?"

"So, let me guess: anyone who enters the castle is forced to wear one of those freaky masks and is brainwashed." Zedaph spoke quietly to Wels, who nodded in agreement.

"And of course our friends are probably somewhere in the castle, meaning we have to go in there to find them." The knight grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the mask-wearing stranger.

Xisuma could hear their hushed conversation, though he didn't acknowledge it. "Our friends are somewhere inside the castle, a group called the hermits. Is there anyway that you could take us to them?"

"Of course!" She smiled calmly, "My name is Geminitay, but you can call me Gem. I haven't spoken to the hermits yet, but I've seen them working throughout the palace."

She walked towards the staircase leading up towards the entrance, with the admin about to follow her inside. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, Doc frowning as he pulled Xisuma aside and out of earshot of the others.

"You know what you're doing, right? You heard Gem, if we go in there, that watcher can snap their fingers and we'll all be puppets to their plan. This is risking everything."

"I know, I know." the man in purple armor said, "But something isn't adding up. If the watcher could just snap their fingers to wipe us out, then why are they waiting? There's something more going on here, and I think we need to go into the castle to find out what."

The creeper shook his head in disagreement. "Xisuma, this could be the end of it all! What if you're wrong? What if we step inside and we're ambushed by the other hermits? If each and every one of us is wearing those masks, then...Then we're never going to be free again. Hermitcraft will be over."

"You need to trust me," the admin said calmly. "I don't like any of this either. I'm worried too, in fact, I'm not even sure if I have a real plan or not. But past those doors hold our friends, and if there's anyway to free them, I'm going to risk it all."

Doc clearly had a look of doubt and worry in his eye, though he ended up slowly nodding. "I trust you, and we both know that any of the hermits would follow you to the ends of the earth if you asked them."

He nodded, glancing towards the small group of remaining hermits. "Let's go," Xisuma said, motioning for the others to follow close behind.

As they climbed the steps, Gem was waiting at the top. She pushed open the heavy doors made of fine wood, revealing a large hallway. The torches on the walls glowed in a white light, illuminating the corridor. The ceiling was high, with marble pillars and banners decorating the otherwise empty space.

The girl with fiery orange hair walked down the hall, while Xisuma's eyes slowly studied the area. He placed a hand on one of the pillars, staring at his reflection. "I've..been here before." The admin muttered to himself, recalling his last dream. Ex had been standing in this very hallway, hadn't he?

"Suma?" Stress called, "What are you staring at?"

"Oh, n-nothing. Just taking a moment to think." He said, focusing on the task at hand. His brother was close, and there was no way that the admin would give up on him.

"The hermits have been working all over the castle, but their most recent project has been the courtyard." Gem spoke as the remaining hermits studied the beautifully constructed hallway in awe. "Their work has been greatly appreciated."

The hallway approach a split, with two other halls splitting off. Right between the two corridors was a large door, yet it wasn't as grand as the front entrance. The girl with deer antlers gestured for the hermits to step outside onto a walkway balcony that overlooked the large garden.

Just like Gem had said, hermits littered the courtyard. Bdubs and Scar were working on building custom trees, while Cleo, False, and Jevin worked on bushes and flowers to brighten up the area. TFC, Keralis, and Ren were busy building a pathway through the gardens, while Impulse and Tango worked on redstone lamps to light the area after dark.

Etho and XB were working on a beautiful pond in the center of the large garden with pink lilies that floated on the water's surface, while Cub and Iskall worked on a statue in the center of the water. Mumbo could be seen carrying a shulker box over to the four by the lake, the group chatting and laughing with one another.

It felt better than he could have ever imagined, seeing the hermits safe and happy. Xisuma could feel a slight weight being lifted off his shoulders, though it wasn't completely gone. There was still a lot to be done.

Grian and Zedaph quickly ran down the stairs that led to the garden, while Doc, Joe, Stress, and Wels were a bit more cautious around the mask-wearing hermits. Mumbo was almost knocked into the pond as he was suddenly jumped by the strawberry blonde, who wrapped their arms around the mustached hermit while laughing.

Team Z.I.T. was more than ecstatic to be reunited, while the other hermits quickly gathered to say hello and welcome their friends.

Those who wore masks didn't act any different, though Xisuma couldn't help but shutter at the silver eyes. He gripped the railing of the balcony, watching as all the hermits enjoy and embrace one another in laughter and hugs. As much as the admin wanted to run down and see his friends again, he couldn't. Ex wasn't there.

He looked over his shoulder to Gem. "Where's—" the man in purple armor was about to ask, but it seemed as though she was one step ahead of him. The girl in overalls walked into the castle, motioning for Xisuma to follow.

Taking one last glance at the hermits, he felt a bit of worry melt away. 'They'll be alright by themselves for a minute or two.' He thought, the admin quickly running into the palace to follow after Gem.

She was walking down the hall to the left, straying away from the main pathway that led to the entrance of the castle. Xisuma couldn't help but follow, deeper and deeper into the hall that only seemed to grow darker and darker.

"We've all heard a lot about you," Gem said to break the silence. "I didn't think you would come here, but I guess I was wrong."

"W-what? What do you mean? Who told you about me..?"

She giggled slightly, as the torches that lined the walls seemed to grow dim. "Don't worry, everything is about to be explained."

That didn't exactly comfort Xisuma's nerves, the way she spoke it only made him feel worse, though he decided to go along and see where Gem was taking him. She navigated through the castle flawlessly, through the twists and turns of the long and darkened halls.

After what felt like around ten minutes of walking, she stopped at a large door, looking back at the admin with a calm smile. "What you've been searching for is right beyond this door."

Stepping out of the way, Xisuma slowly crept forward with his legs beginning to shake. He placed his hands against the wood, which let out a low squeak as he pushed the doors open. There, in the center of the room, stood Xanthus. And next to him, the watcher.

"Welcome home, my asset."