<Xisuma> Hi everyone, we're calling off the investigations for Grian after receiving reliable information that we aren't needed. It's hard, but for now I think it's best that everyone tries to go back to normal life.

Sometimes being the sensible one was difficult. Xisuma wanted to see for himself that Grian didn't need them, he wanted to see with his own eyes that he wasn't in danger, but he knew he shouldn't. He didn't want to go back to normal without Grian, the server wouldn't be whole without him, but what else was there to do? He couldn't risk losing any more hermits.

The device in his hand buzzed as at least twenty new messages started coming through. He put it to the side, not wanting or feeling able to deal with any disagreements. How was he supposed to convince the others he'd made the right decision if he could barely convince himself?

He sighed and pulled his helmet off, grateful to be alone in his office. He leaned his head against the wall he was sat against and put his hands through his hair. He was the worst admin. He'd let all of this happen. Maybe if he'd just trusted Grian more, none of this would've happened.

He'd pushed all his guilt to the side while working to get him back, but now it was over and his emotions flooded his mind like a lake finally breaking down a dam that hadn't been maintained or repaired in far too long.

He had one job as admin, to keep everyone safe, and he'd failed. A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he silently cried. Grian was gone, forever, because he'd been irresponsible. His communicator continued to vibrate on the floor next to him, serving as a constant reminder that he'd failed the hermits.

A few more tears rolled down his face and he didn't hear anyone enter his house until a red, helmeted man entered the office. He took off his helmet to reveal his white hair and placed it on the desk before sinking down against the wall next to his twin, pushing the communicator further away, and wrapping his arm around the admin.

Xisuma leaned against him and continued to cry. They stayed silent, but the love and reassurance was radiating off of Evil X like light and heat from a fire.

The twins had their differences, but they were good brothers when they needed to be.

A few minutes later, Evil X pulled out his own communicator when he was sick of it constantly vibrating and glanced over the messages. Scar and Pearl were refusing to stop investigating and Zedaph and Cleo were trying to convince them, and a few other hermits were also saying things here and there, mostly on Scar and Pearl's side.

<GoodTimesWithScar> I just don't get how X can be so insensitive and expect us to just stop working to get our best friend back.

Scar said, replying to Cleo saying Xisuma's decision was 'for the best'. Sighing, slightly annoyed and glancing at the still broken Xisuma, he typed out a message.

<EvilXisuma> Do you really think it was an easy decision for him to make?

He managed to send it before anyone else replied, and the conversation slowed down considerably.

<Docm77> and what would you know, EVIL xisuma?

And just like that, the argument started up again. He sighed, desperately torn between defending himself and X and trying to calm everyone down, while at the same time, he didn't want to be on his communicator for too long because X needed him, and he didn't want to seem or actually be distracted.

<EvilXisuma> I'm his twin brother so I think I'd know quite a lot

He wondered whether the hermits would ever think that X could be upset. It angered him that they would be so selfish, but he knew he couldn't be angry now so he took a deep breath.

<GoodTimesWithScar> so would you happen to know why he thinks it's okay to give up on our friend?

He didn't know Scar well but he knew it was uncharacteristic for him to be angry. For him, however, it was characteristic to be angry, and now he was.

<EvilXisuma> Would you happen to know why you think it's okay to criticise someone for their decision when you don't know why they made it or the effect it's having on them?

<GoodTimesWithScar> effect?

<EvilXisuma> Yes, effect. Big surprise: he has feelings, just like the rest of you, and instead of comforting him I'm stuck here trying to get you all to shut up and stop arguing because it isnt helping anything.

<EvilXisuma> if you have a problem with his informed, carefully made decision you can tell him another time

<EvilXisuma> now, for the love of notch, shut up

He breathed out a sigh of relief. Xisuma would probably have told him not to get angry, but sometimes the admin was too kind. A few seconds later, new messages came through.

<GoodTimesWithScar> sorry

<GoodTimesWithScar> I wasnt thinking

<GoodTimesWithScar> sorry

<Docm77> sorry

<PearlescentMoon> sorry

<Keralis1> is shashwam ok?

Evil X put down the communicator once the messages had come to a halt, and put all his attention back onto the admin, who was still crying and hadn't seemed to notice his activities. He put his other arm around him and pulled him closer, stroking his hair and mumbling words of comfort. He knew how hard losing a hermit would hit him, especially if he saw it as preventable.

He knew his self esteem was worse than he ever let on, he knew how guilty he felt, he knew he felt as if he'd failed. He whispered gentle reminders of how much he loved him until his tears ran out and, about half an hour later, he fell asleep. He knew Xisuma overworked himself in the best of times, so how much he had in a situation like this was something he didn't want to think about. For someone so clever, the admin was very stupid when it came to consistent sleep.

Carefully, he lifted him up and carried him to his bed, where he laid him down before leaving the room in favour of waiting for him in the living room.

A couple of hours later, though, he got bored and drifted around the house, eventually ending up in the meeting room. The table had become cluttered with books and sheets of paper, and there was an overflowing bin in the corner which was a graveyard for all the plans that had been given up on.

A book that had been left open caught his eye, though. It was about a sightings of Watchers in the past.

He'd just finished reading the page when Xisuma walked in. He looked up and smiled in a hopefully comforting way.

"How are you?" He asked, happy to see that the bags under his eyes had reduced a little.

"Better." X said, shrugging. "Thank you, for... earlier."

"It's fine," he replied, looking back at the page. X walked over to him and followed his eyes. "Does this look familiar to you?" Evil X asked, nodding towards the page.

It read:

Watchers usually work in pairs, but a triplet was sighted on a private server later reported to have been destroyed by a war, suspected to have been caused by one of the sighted Watchers. The triplet was made up of two normal Watchers and one shorter one (the one suspected to have caused the war), thought to be the powerful Human-Watcher Hybrid; Xelqua.

The war destroyed the server in just one month, there were zero survivors. The information on this event was gathered by some external friends of the server members.

"Xelqua... that sounds familiar." Xisuma said. He wandered over to a bookshelf and pulled out a black and purple book named Famous Watchers. "I didn't think to look in here before, because... well, I didn't think these would have anything to do with all of this."

"I just thought... Watcher-Human hybrid might be something important. Even if it isn't Grian, understanding the concept of them being part human and part Watcher might be useful." Ex said. Xisuma opened the book to a page with Xelqua written in large letters at the very top.

Starting out as a human and admin of an unknown server, Xelqua was kidnapped by two of the most powerful Watchers and had his memory taken. His body was mostly human - excluding wings, purple eyes, purple singed fingertips and a few other things that come as a side effect of magic - but his magic was as strong as a weak Watcher.

He disliked his life there, so he sought refuge in an unsuspecting, unidentified server for a few years where he went by his human name from his first server (although how he knew it after having his memory taken remains a mystery, the name is unknown) and was stripped of his powers. A few years later, he went back to the Watchers' End (details unknown) and got his powers back, going back to his preferred Watcher name.

He went on to become the most powerful Watcher (approx. 5 times stronger than the average) before records of information run out. He has not been sighted after this part of his timeline.

He's one of the four only ever Watcher-Human Hybrids, is the only Watcher to go by gendered pronouns (he/him), is one of the few to have their name known by humans, and is thought to be talented in flight.

"Oh, I know where I've heard Xelqua before." Xisuma said. Evil X looked at him. "The other two Watchers called Grian it in the portal room on the day he left." They stared at each other in silence for a second, not quite being able to decide whether they wanted to know what they'd just learned or not.

"Hey, uh, X?" The twins were pulled out of their worried trance when Scar's voice rang out. The admin immediately closed the book and looked at the hermit in the doorway, who was stood with Keralis and Pearl.

"Shashwammy are you okay?" Keralis asked, stepping forwards. Xisuma glanced at his brother and they both remembered their lack of helmets.

"Oh, uh, yeah?" He felt self conscious without the headpiece, as if he were on show. He hoped his tear marks had faded by now. The hermits hadn't seen his face very often, and he briefly wondered whether Pearl ever had before.

"You look pale." Keralis said. Well that was probably because he'd just learned he'd been housing one of the most powerful beings in all of the universe in his server and hadn't even realised. He murmured a small sound to acknowledge what had been said, but he wasn't really in a talking mood.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier." Scar said, looking down at his hands and fidgeting with them. X furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Evil X, mouthing 'what did he say?'. He looked back at Scar a second later.

"It's okay I guess?" He said, happy to see Scar's shoulders visibly relax.

"What were you two doing?" Pearl asked. The Voidwalkers met eyes for a second.

"Nothing." Evil X replied.