Xelqua Rising || The Lost One AU

29.And

Yet another Watcher came stumbling down the hall of the North Wing towards the crowd. In his hand he grasped at a golden cane, his movements slow. The area quickly grew quiet, the tapping of the cane thundering down the hall as if to declare judgement on every single being there. No one dared to move a muscle or breathe, even Xiomara.

Xelqua immediately recognized him as Azubius, the messenger of the Great Ones. He was the only Watcher allowed to see into the Sanctum when he was not called into it. This allowed him to alert the others of the Great Ones' wills and call them into their chamber. Never having seen him go out of his way to deliver a message face-to-face before, Xelqua followed the lead of everyone else, becoming part of what now seemed to be a painting rather than a scene.

The old Watcher slowly came up towards them, the crowd silently parting for him. He went and stood directly between the two on the ground and stood there for some time, no one daring to speak.

"What is the meaning of this?" Azubius signed into his cane. His hand barely moved at all. The only reason why anyone had known that had spoken was because of the expectation for him to speak. His question was greeted with silence that seemed to drag on forever.

Miesall slowly sat up, the other two Watchers now allowing him to do so. "Well, I—" he began.

"Silence!" He signed furiously, throwing a bolt of purple magic at the young Watcher. It struck him right back down onto the ground. "The Great Ones are angry and so am I. You may be the youngest of all of us, but that does not excuse you to fight like children! How many times have you learned this lesson? How many times will you need to be taught? Just look at yourselves. Nothing short of disgraceful. We are meant to be one, and yet you splinter and fracture us. The Great Ones will now see to your punishments — each and every one of you." A chill ran through every single Watcher's spine except for the speaker. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

The Watchers that remained on the ground scrambled onto their feet. The crowd quickly ran up the hall, the others following behind. Xelqua found his heart beating fast inside of his chest. If that Watcher was angry, just how mad would the Great Ones be? He found himself almost tripping over his robes multiple times, his thoughts and fears taking away his focus. He tried to breathe deep breaths, telling himself it'd be alright. He's get a stern talking to for starting a fight and be sent on his way. Maybe he'd be confined to his room or something for awhile, that was fine. It was going to be fine. Everything was fine. That's what he kept telling himself, but it was clear all the Watchers — ones that most certainly had punishments before— were trembling just as much if not more than he was himself. It was infectious.

The large doors leading into the Sanctum opened wide, inviting all involved inside. They all walked in, the door slamming shut behind them as if to lock them in a prison cell.

The crowd quickly dispersed, no longer standing shoulder to shoulder but a comfortable distance apart. Xelqua found Miesall, standing beside him. He had hoped that by doing so, he'd feel a bit better, but he didn't really. Miesall didn't seem to even acknowledge him, having bigger things to worry about.

The Great Ones looked over the group, much like they always did. But there was something about them now that seemed a whole lot more menacing, though Xelqua couldn't put his finger on as to why. They stood in silence, no one signing for some time.

"You have greatly disappointed us." The Great Lady began.

"Yes, you are to be one people, united to serve and worship us and to defend the worlds from our greatest enemies, the Listeners. Today, some of you have broken that oath, resorting to violence over petty things." The Great Lord agreed.