"You've forgotten someone, Xelqua..." Illia stood over her son. Grian felt so small as he gazed up at the pale, distant face of the woman before him. He was but a mere child again. Grian opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Try as he might, Grian was completely mute.

"You've forgotten someone important, son." Illia whispered. A thousand unspoken questions lay at the tip of Grian's tongue. "Remember... remember who it is." Illia faded from view and Grian was falling... falling...

"Mom!?" Grian sat up suddenly in his red bed covers.

"Not quite." Xisuma chuckled. He was standing a few inches away from Grian's bed. He had obviously just been about to wake him up. Rays of morning light shown through ebbing tree branches rustling leaves of the dense taiga trees. The blood rushed to Grian's face.

"I - er - um..." Grian stammered, "I was just... dreaming."

"About your mom?" Xisuma asked. He took Grian's silence as a yes. "Where is she right now? I mean, where does your family live?" Xisuma was keen on finding out where Grian had come from before Hermitcraft. He had just never been able to get much out of the prankster.

"My parents are gone. I don't have any family." Grian said in a toneless way.

"Oh! I - I'm so sorry. I forgot." Xisuma murmured in an awkward tone.

"It's fine." Grian forced a smile.

"Morning Grian!" False skipped over to the two hermits, breaking the awkward silence. Both Grian and Xisuma were incredibly grateful. "Did you sleep well?" False smiled cheerfully.

"Yes." Grian and Xisuma answered at the same time.

"Murgh... mmm-erggh..." Gem moaned as she blearily opened her blazing green eyes.

"Welcome back, sleepy head." False teased.

"Hey!" Gem bolted to her feet, snapping into full on perky mode. "Where we going to next, huh?" Gem cocked her head towards Grian.

"South." Grian answered with no hesitation. He knew his myths, and if Zebdar's descendant was anything like his predecessor Grian had a pretty good idea where he lived. Grian ignored his companions' raised eyebrows and strode past them deftly.

"Grian... I hate to break it to you but I'm down to a stack of rockets." False warned. Grian tched.

"I brought an extra shulker. How many does everyone else have left?" Grian admitted reluctantly,

"I have three stacks." Gem answered, her hesitance clear.

"I have four and a half." Xisuma hung his head.

"Well that's great. I was hoping to save the shulker for a last resort." Grian snorted as he divided another five stacks between the hermits. "Set?" Grian scowled.

"How far are we going to have to fly?" Xisuma's eyes widened. Grian's silence meant everything.

. . .

"Ready to set up camp?" Gem soared beside Grian.

"Not quite... just a little farther." Grian pushed. Gem waited a few minutes before hedging,

"We're going to hit something, there's no moon tonight. We have to set up camp now, Grian."

"Fine." The resignation was clear in Grian's hollow voice. He was starting to regret launching into the expedition so unprepared. They were going to run out of patience or rockets soon. It was just a matter of what run down first.

The sun cascaded a thousand magentas and crimson hues as the foursome landed halfway up a large mountian in a range of stony peaks. Xisuma hollowed out a small cave and they set up halfway in an out of it's mouth. A chilly wind clawed through the canyons and gulfs of the mountain range.

"Hey... do you see something?" A note of alarm layered Gem's soft question as she looked out over the valley below.

"See what?" False got to her feet, her fish falling to the floor as she ran over to Gem.

"What now?" Grian skidded to a halt with Xisuma on his heels. Grian squinted to make out a bleary cloud heading towards them.

"I don't - no..." by the time Grian made out the small army of watchers it was too late. "RUN!" Grian screamed, shoving himself in front of his friends.

"And leave you? You're the weakest of us all!" Xisuma gaped.

"I said run!" Grian turned to Xisuma, his eyes flashing dangerously. Xisuma backed up, suddenly scared.

"Grian we are not leaving you." False tried to push in front of Grian, but Grian shoved her back roughly. False's eyes widened and she radiated alarm. Gem had slunk back into the cave and was hurriedly crafting up something. She came back holding a fresh bow and a handful of arrows.

"Those aren't going to do any damage." False cautioned. Gem gritted her teeth and said nothing as she ran her fingers over the arrows. A tell-tale film of purple level eight magic frosted over the bow and arrows.

Gem fitted the arrow onto the shimmered string and pulled it back with deft ease. It flew right into the heart of the swarm of watcheres and a dark figure dropped from the sky. Again and again arrows whizzed through the clouds, always hitting their marks.

Meanwhile Xisuma was furiously crafting up golden apples and False was putting some spell or another on her own bow and arrows.

Grian weighed his options frantically. He had about ten seconds before the army was upon them, and absolutely nothing that would help in the fight except his magic. He couldn't use his prime magic which meant... but his watcher magic wouldn't be strong enough... it was too late.

"Agh!" The hermits cried as they were blasted against the mountain.

"Hello, Notch." A figure radiating a blinding aura headed the group of watchers. He hovered in the air, dark wings holding him in the air effortlessly.

"Who are you?" Grian leaped to his feet and ran to the edge of the stony cliff. His comrades cried out for him to stop, but Grian faced the figure bravely.

"Interesting... has he not visited you yet? Are you that young?" The man laughed. When his eyes flitted open Grian immediatly realised they were empty of life. Glowing white.

"Oh he's visited me. Hello, Herobrine." Grian's eyes flashed dangerously, ocasionally sparking gold. Herobrine's eyes widened.

"Well then! Notch is the mystery prime! You certainly know how to keep a secret!" Herobrine rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Shall I introduce myself properly? I'm Hevonir, bearer of Herobrine's spirit. To whom do I owe this introduction?" Hevonir grinned evilly.

"Xelqua." Grian whispered so the hermits wouldn't hear.

"Hmm... it appears I have been misinformed, then. Never mind, it doesn't matter what your name is because you'll die either way." Hevonir twirled a bloodstone-hilted blade.

"I don't think so." Grian raised his chin in defiance. So Hevonir knew he was a prime admin now... Grian's fault. Grian cursed mentally. Hevonir already knew he was Notch and prime admin. Two closely gaurded secrets, ones no one - not a single other soul knew besides Grian.

Hevonir wasn't a fool like Xisuma and the Head Watcher. If Grian used watcher magic Hevonir would know. And then he would know all of Grian's secrets.

So this was why Notch had skirted around Herobrine's descendant. He was essentially the leader of the watchers with higher powers. An arch nemesis. A force Grian knew he might not even be able to defeat. And Grian had thought he could defeat anyone.

Grian had kept his secret for so long... but now he had no choice. He would have to make a sacrifice for Minecraftia. Grian turned around and his eyes stopped on Gem, Xisuma, and False. In that single second of eye contact, Grian was apologising for a thousand lies. With a small smile, Grian turned back to Hevonir.

"You think you can take me? Let me tell you... this is the worst mistake of your life." Grian's eyes flamed and melded into a blazing gold. Hevonir snorted. And in that instant Grian unfolded his pure, unshifted white wings and his disguise fell.

The hermits watched in awe as Grian grew almost a foot taller. His wings were exposed in the caves torchlight, and suddenly a blinding gold aura radiated from the prime admin.

"Ah... hello, Prime 1." An almost fearful expression crossed Hevonir's face, but only for a second.

The hermits couldn't believe their eyes as Grian turned around ever so slightly, and his familiar yet so unfamilar golden eyes gazed into their own for another split second. Then he turned back around to face the higher power.

"You wanted a duel. You have a duel." Grian smirked. "But first, really!? You have an entire army! And you made me reveal my carefully kept secret! Tch. Let's just even the odds a bit."

Grian raised his fingers and stone arms reached out from the mountains and siezed the higher powers army, crushing them into dust. "Now then, we have a duel." Grian winked. Hevonir looked furious, but he managed to maintain his composure.

"Very good, Xelqua. Impressive, I must admit. But what about your forces?"

"Pfft. Three half-baked admins cowering in that cave? What, are you scared of them? Do you think that they stand a chance against a higher power? By all means, if you think they're a threat be my guest." Grian stepped aside. Hevonir roared but didn't attack the hermits to Grian's relief.

"Your move, Brine." Grian taunted.

"Fine." Hevonir sent a jet of white magic at Grian. Grian caught it midair and threw it back towards Hevonir. The magic immediately dispersed.

Grian stomped down both feet and caused a rift in the mountain to form. From the crevice a sonic wave of gold threw Hevonir from the air. Sweat trickled down Grian's forehead.

Hevonir grumbled as he flapped back up the mountain. A bolt of white light flew towards the prime. Grian deflected it and sent back with a crack. Next Grian threw a pillar of-

It went back and forth forth for at least an hour. Grian was near the point of collapsing while Hevonir had barely broke a sweat. "Stupid higher power perks..." Grian muttered. This was getting nowhere. Suddenly Grian watched Hevonir turn towards the mouth of the cave.

"NO!" Grian cried as he appeared in front of the hermits and threw up a forcefield just in time to block a huge dagger of light directed at the admins. A split second later and they would have been incinerated. Xisuma, False, and Gem gaped. They were astonished they were alive.

Grian turned to Hevonir slowly after he looked over the hermits. "You went too far, Brine." Grian's magic marks gleamed brightly as he allowed all the rage, all the fear, all the pain... everything he had been carefully trained to hold back lose.

With a cry of rage, Grian raced towards the edge of the mountain, his feet whizzing over the ground in a flash of super speed. Suddenly Grian launched himself off the mountain, and a hundred things happened at once. As Grian fell he pressed his hands together and a tidal wave of explosive smoke hit Hevonir.

Lightning zapped, thunder clapped, rocks flew, trees were uprooted, whirlwinds ran rampant. As Grian hit the ground he regained control and the chaos faded, leaving a battered, tattered higher power in it's wake. Hevonir got to his feet shakily, looking shocked.

"Alright. If you want to play serious." Hevonir lifted his head and made direct eye contact with Grian. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. "Impossible..." Hevonir murmured, stumbling back. Suddenly his hand shot out and a Grian felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.

"LOOK OUT!" Xisuma cried. Grian looked up just in time to see a giant boulder crashing down onto him. He managed to get nearly out of the way, but Grian fell to the ground in the dusty crater, his foot pinned underneath the boulder. Grian let out a cry of anguish and pain.

"Now you're over, Notch. No more descendants. No more void borns. No more distractions." Hevonir grinned, his glowing eyes were ominous as ever.

As Hevonir walked forward and raised his sword, a voice shouted something Grian couldn't make out. And suddenly Hevonir was gone.

Grian's vision faded in and out as he was lifted up onto level ground. The last thing he remembered seeing were the hermit's faces, standing over him, and a mysterious stranger who glowed with a faint red outline. And then Gem fading into his vision, outlined with a vibrant green.

Then there was a welcoming black.