When Xelqua arrived back at his base, he pulled out his Ender chest to get out the best armour he had. He didn't have netherite yet, so diamond would have to do. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to be in any danger. He also got out his mask and put it in his inventory; it felt like something he wanted to have on him, just in case. As a second thought, he also stuffed his cloak in his inventory - why not?

It had only been ten minutes, but he could see people gathering again outside his window, so he went out and joined them.

"Hey Gri, are you excited?" Scar asked, waving his sword around like he was attacking something.

"Yep." The blond replied, watching as the hermit nearly hit Doc.

"Sorry." He said to the creeper. Xelqua chuckled.

It wasn't long until everyone was there, fully geared up and chatting in anticipation, all apart from Bdubs and Doc who seemed to be 'playfully' arguing about something.

"Ok hermits." X announced, and everyone silenced. "Stick with at least one other person at all times, although we'll try to all stick together anyway, and let's just go."

"Onwards!" Tango called out, and they all made their way to the door. Iskall supplied some levers which they used to open the iron barriers. They came out into a fairly large room, the floor made of sandstone and the walls of stone. There were obsidian words (in Galactic) engraved in them.

"What are all those symbols?" False asked.

"They're words, in the language of Galactic." Joe said, going up to them and inspecting them.

"What do they say?" Iskall asked.

"Not sure, it would probably take me a couple of hours to decipher them. I'm not very good at translating." Joe replied. Xelqua read them while the others theorised; You've outgrown them. They were right, he had.

"I can read Galactic." Xisuma said, drawing his attention back to the present. All eyes landed on the admin. "It says 'you've outgrown them'."

"That doesn't make any sense." Beef said.

"It probably does and we just don't know the context." Etho replied. Pearl, Mumbo and X's eyes looked to Xelqua. He ignored them. He had a feeling people were about to follow their eyeline and question it, but luckily False changed the subject.

"Hey, look what's through here." She called, and everyone turned to see her stood by an open door. She went in and people followed.

There were two stone statues - ones Xelqua recognised to be Oリᒷ and T∴𝙹. They were stood, their stances neutral and their wings in a closed position behind their backs. There were more words on the wall between them, reading They're already turning, and a staircase going around the walls of the room.

"Is that what a Watcher looks like?" Keralis asked.

"Must be." Pearl replied.

"They're terrifying." Cub said, and everyone agreed. The hermits would be scared of Xelqua.

"What do the words say, X?" Stress asked.

"'They're already turning'." He supplied.

"What are?" Bdubs asked.

"I don't know, that's all it says." The axolotl replied. You are, Xelqua thought. He glanced around and noticed the suspicious expressions on Pearl and Mumbo's faces.

A few minutes later, they went upstairs. There were chests every other block against two opposite walls, the remaining ones being one where the stairs were (there was another set leading further up) and one that had only two chests and a sign between them. Above each chest was a hermit's name, in English.

"What?" A couple of people muttered in confusion. Scar went up to the one with his name.

"Don't open it!" Cub said, but he already had. "Oh, I thought it would be trapped."

"What?! Look at all this copper!" He exclaimed, grinning and taking some as if to check it were really there.

"What?" X asked, going over to look in and seeing it filled completely with stacks upon stacks of copper blocks.

"I think they're gifts or something." Scar said, pulling out an empty shulker box and transferring the materials.

"Gifts?" Iskall asked, going over to his chest and opening it. "Dude! I got three tridents! And... a stack of diorite?" A few people laughed and he pulled out a flint and steel to burn it. Everyone dispersed and found their own chests, finding valuables waiting for them.

Xelqua went over to the two lonely chests by the middle wall. The sign between them read You must choose in Galactic. The right chest was labelled 'Grian', and the left was labelled 'Xᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ' (Xelqua). He drew in a shaky breath and looked back at the others. They were all preoccupied with their own chests and didn't seem to have noticed him. He turned back to his choice.

Grian or Xelqua.

Xelqua or Grian.

He took a deep breath. He already knew what choice he was going to make so there wasn't much point in thinking it through - that way, he might collect an audience, which was something he certainly didn't want.

He opened the chest on the left. Inside, was a note. It read (in Galactic):

At first you numbered us, but now you have gained our trust.

Then it said their names. Their names.

He stepped back, the chest closing on it's own, and put his hand to his mouth.

"O⍑ ᒲ|| n𝙹ℸ ̣ ᓵ⍑." (Oh my notch.) He said, louder than he'd intended. Galactic had become his thinking language again, so when words came out unfiltered that was the language they'd be in. It was like how Iskall often said 'nej' when panicking.

"What did you say?" He distantly heard Xisuma ask, but he didn't pay any attention to it. The Watchers trusted him, they gave him their names. That was not a small thing. He stared at the paper with disbelief.

They had told him their names.

They had really just told him their names.

His breathing was shaky but not with panic or fear or any other negative emotion. He couldn't believe it. Then he became aware that everyone was staring at him.

"What is it?" Someone asked, although he didn't know nor care who. They all glanced at the chests and he realised they would know what had happened soon. He flipped over the paper and on the other side was a single word;

Upstairs.

He couldn't hang around for much longer; people were approaching him. He let go of the paper, letting it burn up in purple flame before hitting the ground, turned and ran up the stairs. He knew people were following but couldn't bring himself to care. On the way up, he took off his diamond helmet and kicked off his shoes. Then, in the moment he was out of sight, let his chest-plate and leggings mysteriously vanish off him and end up on the floor next to him.

There was an active portal.

And the Watchers.

He grinned, knowing how important this moment was. Oリᒷ and T∴𝙹 stood before him, no longer Oリᒷ and T∴𝙹, but instead their new names.

He remembered the rest of reality when he heard the clanging of armour and swords being pulled out behind him.

"Oh fuck." False said behind him, presumably realising she had no chance against the Watchers now that they were stood in front of her.

"Grian, get back from them!" Mumbo yelled.

"Get away from our friend!" Iskall shouted at the Watchers. The group of all the hermits were stood back, nearly against the wall, as they were all too scared to be the first one to approach the powerful gods. Xelqua was stood in the middle of the room, facing the portal and Watchers. None of the hermits could see his smile.

"I ᓵ⍑𝙹ᓭᒷ." (I chose.) Xelqua said.

"Grian?" Mumbo asked, unsurely. He was scared.

"He's speaking Galactic." Joe mumbled.

Wᒷ ᔑ∷ᒷ !¡ꖎᒷᔑᓭᒷ↸ ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ ||𝙹⚍∷ ᓵ⍑𝙹╎ᓵᒷ, xᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ. (We are pleased with your choice, Xelqua.) Formerly-Oリᒷ replied. Judging by the hermit's reactions behind him, they weren't used to having words placed directly into their heads, nor were they expecting it.

T╎ᒲᒷ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᓭᔑ|| ⊣𝙹𝙹↸ʖ||ᒷ. (Time to say goodbye.) Formerly-T∴𝙹 said, before turning to the portal. Xelqua started to walk forwards but a hand grabbed his arm and False, Iskall and Doc rushed forwards.

"We won't let you take him!" Iskall yelled as they went forwards. Formerly-T∴𝙹's hand lit up and they held the three (now fire surrounded) hermits in the air. Xelqua turned to see that it was Mumbo holding his arm.

"Grian what's going on?" He asked quietly. More hermits ran forwards towards the purple fire-surrounded hermits but they too were stopped in the same way before they had even moved half a metre.

Control your friends. Formerly-Oリᒷ said in English, probably to spite them. Their 'voice' sounded strange in the language. Xelqua glanced at Mumbo one last time before snatching his arm back.

They're not my friends. He 'said'. He'd always resented speaking the way Watchers did and had usually just spoken normally, but now? Why not speak like a Watcher? He was one, after all.

"Grian..." Mumbo said, his voice breaking slightly and he imagined he was probably crying. Xelqua felt no guilt like he might've expected.

He took off his gloves, pulled his cloak out of his inventory and put it on before letting his wings phase into existence. Then he put on his mask. He sensed the Watchers smile with approval at him. He also sensed the hermits look at him with sudden fear.

"Please, Grian..." Mumbo said. Formerly-T∴𝙹's hand extinguished and the hermits were released. They stood still as shock echoed between the walls.

Lᒷℸ ̣ 'ᓭ ⊣𝙹, (Let's go,) T∴𝙹 said, stepping into the portal. Xelqua did the same and formerly-Oリᒷ followed.

They stepped out into the familiar Watcher's End, inside the dark, obsidian temple that was their home.

We're proud of you, Xelqua. Formerly-Oリᒷ said. Xelqua smiled.

You can spend a while getting used to being a Watcher again, then we'll give you some things to do. Formerly-T∴𝙹 said.

Okay. He replied.