Chapter 3 - Hallucinations...Or Not?

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Dream SMP

Everything seemed to be normal currently. At least...For the Dream SMP. A couple of the Hermitcraft members were acting strangely. Like Xisuma. He keeps staring at the sky during the night with a scared look. So was Grian. In fact, Mumbo wasn't even sleeping anymore. Just staring at the sky every night. But George had noticed that Xisuma and Mumbo were staring at the moon.

So one day, when it was morning, George had overheard Mumbo talking to Grian.

"It must be hallucinations from PTSD!!" Mumbo said.

"I'm sure it is Mumbo," Grian said.

What were they talking about? George wondered.

"Have you been looking at the moon lately?" Mumbo asked Grian.

"No. We've already seen it once and I don't want to see it again." George decided that he will too.

So that night, George sat outside of his and Dream's house, staring up at the sky, waiting for the moon to appear. George didn't see any difference in the moon. Except...

. . .

George overheard Grian talking to Tommy.

"I didn't notice the moon until Mumbo and I came back from mining" Grian said. "Did you notice it?"

"No mate. I didn't notice any difference in the moon." What difference?

"Not even the moon getting bigger?"

"What? No, of course not. And why would the moon be getting bigger?" Tommy gave Grian a confused look. "That makes no sense at all."

"It has to be! Xisuma has been seeing it too!"

"Its only three people Grian!!" Tommy said.

Tommy turned to a rather sizable glass cage in the corner of his house where a spider was. Strangely enough, Tommy had even named it. Shroud. He said it was named after a spider from the SMP.

"Well look at it tonight. I swear it's getting bigger."

"It isn't," Tommy said as Shroud climbed up the side of the cage, making a spider web. Tommy turned to face back to Grian.

"Well, I think it is! I know it is!!" Grian said, now frustrated. George ducked behind a tree so he wouldn't be seen as Grian stormed out of Tommy's house.

"Why are the Hermits worried about the moon?" George whispered to himself.

. . .

Later that night, George told Dream what he had overheard Mumbo and Grian talking about.

"Mumbo hasn't been sleeping either. They just keep saying that there's something wrong with the moon."

"That is weird," Dream said.

"I know." George said. "I heard Grian say something about the moon getting bigger."

"It isn't though," Dream said, confused.

"I know..." George looked up at the moon.

Dream stood up to go inside but not before placing a kiss on George's cheek, leaving the brunet flustered as heck.

But the moon did seem slightly closer than usual...

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Hermitcraft

Xisuma didn't like what was happening.

Ever since Grian and Mumbo had mentioned the moon, panic arose upon all the Hermits. X wanted to keep his fellow Hermits calm, but he could barely keep calm himself. There were a few Hermits who seem to see it growing. Himself, Gem, Pearl, Grian and Mumbo. Doc and Ren were starting to see it, too. Bdubs, of course did not. He goes to sleep as early as he can.

Late at night in Overgrownways, Xisuma was staring out the window nervously as he had a conversation with Gem.

"Do you really think the moon is getting bigger?" Gem asked.

"We can only hope it's not. I don't want to lose anyone else."

Gem's face darkened, being reminded of how X had made that decision. Resulting in losing his server and losing his friends, there were now 18 Hermits in this world. There were originally 26 members of the Hermitcraft server. They had lost 8 Hermits all because of the moon. And as far as they knew, TFC, xB, Hypno, Jevin, Joe, Stress, Etho, and Beef were all gone. For good. Gem suggested something to X.

"Maybe it's just a hallucination, and we don't have to worry about it. The members of Dream SMP don't seem to see it. Not that they've mentioned anyway..."

"If it was a hallucination then why would so many people see it? How would it be going on for so many days?"

"X, I think you should get some rest. Sleep might be the best thing right now."

"I don't need sleep, I need answers. How did we get onto this server in the first place, instead of Season 9? Why is history repeating itself? Aren't you worried too?"

"I didn't say I wasn't."

"I've seen people come and go on the Hermitcraft server. I've known everyone for so long now, you're new. You wouldn't understand."

"I've been on the server for about 6 months now, but I've definitely gotten closer to the other Hermits! Listen, I know it's rough to leave friends behind, but you need to at least try not to act panicked. What will the other Hermits think if their admin is genuinely concerned?"

"You're right, I'm sorry. You do seem to fit in nicely to the server even with being on it for only 6 months." Xisuma recalled the time when Gem had trapped Grian in a bottle when he was pretending to be AFK and sold him to Impulse. "But the thing is, what if it is a real problem? Just like last time. Last time, we weren't prepared. Now we can be!"

"Wouldn't it be easier to worry about it in the morning?"

Their conversation was interrupted by Keralis and Cleo, who both seemed concerned.

"Shashwammy, it's a good idea to get rest. You can call a meeting with the Hermits to discuss what's going on and what we should do. Maybe it would be a good idea to invite the Dream SMP as well."

Xisuma gave an angry look to Keralis. "I am not calling a meeting with the Dream SMP included."

Cleo sighed. "X, you can't avoid Dream forever. Especially if we're all going to get along on this server."

"Cleo, you're usually the one with the bad ideas."

"No X, I'm the one who influences you to get bad ideas. And I quite enjoy it too! Speaking of which, we need 'Bad Idea X' more often." Cleo shook her head. "That's not my point. My point is you have to get along with Dream. Also, Gem and Keralis are right. You need rest."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll place a ton of armor stands around the server. Won't harm you by looking at them, but it will harm you and get annoying in the sense that I'll have to murder the Hermits to get replicas of their heads."

Cleo was always the queen of making stories with armor stands. How could anyone forget her zoo in Season 7?

Xisuma sighed. He really didn't want to get spammed on his communicator saying "___ was slain by ZombieCleo."

"Fine..."

However, X couldn't sleep. He was too busy worrying...

The next day, X had messaged everyone through their communicators

<Xisuma> Hey guys, I think we should call a meeting to discuss the, recent events on this server

<Grian> I agree

<Renthedog> Where should we meet up?

<Xisuma> I have no idea, does the area near the mountains work? Should be easy to spot

<Keralis1> Yea Shashwammy

<Cubfan135> Anywhere works X

<PearlescentMoon> I think we should allow Dream SMP to come too. After all, they're on the server as well

<Xisuma> Do you think it's a good idea? What if someone, like I don't know Dream, starts conflict over this

<Dream> I can literally see every message you send. Why would I be the one starting conflict?

<TommyInnit> Gee, I wonder why

<Tubbo_> Well I think it's a great idea. This server concerns us too!

<GeminiTay> It really does, doesn't it?

<Xisuma> Fine, meet us by the mountains

Xisuma didn't like this. Great, Dream will be there.

He had firsthand found out how rude Dream was. And according to the Dream SMP members, he could get a lot worse.

Though he did think Cleo was right, he did need to try to get along with Dream. They were the admins of Hermitcraft and the Dream SMP after all. Now all he had to do was initiate this meeting.

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Any other Hermitcraft fans out there?
-Pleb

When I saw that Pleb wrote that Mumbo wasn't sleeping I had instant flashbacks to the Mooners XDDD Anyone else? Yes, 'Bad Idea X' WAS a reference to one of Xisuma's streams. Also, I DON'T NEED SLEEP, I NEED ANSWERS! That was DEFINITELY a reference to the meme :) Man when I wrote "initiate the meeting" I looked back at that and thought of "HERMIT CHALLENGES INITIATION"

-Galactic