The Silver Sun - A Hermitcraft Watcher AU

8

Fire.

Silver, glistening flames.

Except, it wasn't a dream this time.

It was all real, it was all so painfully real.

Xisuma had no choice but to run, to flee, hoping that the other hermits would make it in time. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, adrenaline coursing through his veins, panic and fear stirring up his thoughts.

'I should have been more prepared, I should have gotten us to safety the moment I had that dream!' The admin scolded himself mentally, soaring over the treetops to try and make it to the world border in time. He could only hope that the hermits got there safely, but Xisuma had a bad feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy.

The flames spread faster than expected, small patches of dark smoke tearing through the treetops as they floated up to the sky. Patches of fire appeared out of nowhere, beginning to burn the world into nothing but a wasteland of ash. Even with his helmet on, Xisuma could feel the smoke burning his eyes, which forced tears to roll down his cheeks.

He had failed his one job. Xisuma swore to protect the server, he swore to protect the people he called family, but it was like it was all being torn away from him. Hermits could die, they could turn into brainwashed servants to that watcher, and instead of helping, Xisuma was running.

What choice did he have? Xisuma had no admin abilities, not while the watcher was still on the server. He couldn't teleport all the hermits to safety, nor could he fight to try and protect them. It made him feel even more powerless and small than he already felt.

There were no options left, no plan that could possibly safe everyone. Xisuma knew this, he knew that nothing he did would matter in the end. He was spiraling, going down a rabbit hole of blame and worry, all while wanting to break down sobbing.

Xisuma had always had some form of control, some way he could fix everything and protect everyone, but he didn't have that anymore. He had no protection, no safety to promise. The guilt weigh heavy on the admin's mind, knowing for certain that everything had been his fault.

As he landed in the taiga forest, Xisuma ripped off his helmet, dropping it onto the grass as he tried to get a moment of fresh air. He was at the world border, and yet, no one else was here.

Sitting down on a fallen tree, Xisuma shoved his hands into his face, clutching his hair as he fought back tears. This couldn't be how it all ends, could it? The admin didn't know, he had never been this lost before.

The soft crunch of fallen leaves and twigs began to approach, someone walking through the forest, drawing closer to Xisuma. Did it even matter at this point? He couldn't do anything, he couldn't save anyone.

He didn't even look up from the ground as the sound of footsteps came closer, Xisuma tightening his hold on his hair. He was ready, prepared to either die, or be turned into a brainwashed slave.

Xisuma had seen the watcher take over a server in one day, he had seen firsthand how she controlled her followers. Running was useless, so was fighting. Not like the admin could do either, especially with the stab wound that rested in his shoulder.

Shutting his eyes as tight as he could, Xisuma braced himself as the footsteps came to a stop, right in front of the admin. Tears managed to force their way out of his shut eyes, dropping down his cheeks. This was really it. Hermitcraft was over.

"Don't tell me you've given up."

Instead of the expected silky, calm tone of the watcher, Xisuma was greeted by a familiar voice. His grip slightly loosened on his hair, the admin glancing up from the ground.