Awaken (Hermitcraft Fanfiction)

XIII. Wrongs Set Right

TW: injuries

^-^

"Tuus memoriae dissero." (I unlock your memories)

Silver leaped from her hand as she projected the energy past the Void's torture into his ring of misery. It connected, and he stiffened, absorbing the energy. Abruptly, everything stopped. The Void's lights went out like candles, and Zeroc dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. His breaths came in gasps as his mind unlocked, and his life came rushing back as an endless stream of moments, images, and sounds.

"Is he okay?" Gem asked as Pearl took food from her inventory for the three of them. Unsurprisingly, Gem's inventory was empty, forcing her to share resources. Thankfully, the disturbed passing of time in the Void didn't change their innermost sleeping and eating cycles.

Pearl shook her head. "I don't know what happened exactly. All I know is that he should be getting his memories back now." She watched him thoughtfully, noticing his motion was restricted to tight shivering and slight moans. "He has a long life," she added dubiously. "We could be here for a while."

Zeroc screamed, a long, aching, grief-filled scream as the memory was forced into his mind. He collapsed inward, pressing the sides of his head as he fought to relieve the pain from the image. Pearl placed her hand on his back and jumped back violently as an explosion of teal magic erupted in the air where her hand had been.

"On second thought," she said ponderously, "it might not be much longer."

Zeroc stood bolt upright, teal flashing dangerously. "Xylia, where is Yevir?" he questioned intensely as sparks of magic betrayed his inner turmoil.

"I do not know," Pearl replied, knowing Galactic would comfort him. Gem switched her gaze between them rapidly, watching the foreign exchange. "Is something wrong?" she added, noticing his suddenly stricken expression.

"There is more wrong than you think," he hissed, falling onto one knee. "I must access the server. He must be alive."

He entered spectator mode and disappeared, his physical body rigid as it awaited his return. He was thrust back, teal magic bursting from the air as the spell he'd used was completely dismantled and destroyed by the wards surrounding the server he had tried to enter.

"Damn it," he muttered, working up the strength to make another attempt. He performed the same maneuver but was thrust back twice as forcefully, sending his spectator several meters past his body before he released the spell.

"Zeroc, what happened?" Pearl asked, switching to English for Gem's benefit; the redhead was confused by the events before her. He looked at her, confused, then sighed and opened his ears.

"I nearly killed Yevir in a skirmish we had," he stated bluntly, laying bare the despised truth. "I did not anticipate my amnesiac personality would take such an aggressive stance against him, although I admit I enchanted it to do whatever was necessary to arrive in the Void."

Pearl felt her heart catch in her throat as Zeroc stopped speaking, biting his thumb as he sought a solution. "Yevir is alright, though, right?" she asked, pushing away the lurking suspicion that her mentor was dead after the progress they had achieved.

"Who's Yevir?" Gem piped up. "I guess you're Zeroc?"

Zeroc scowled at her question, the exhaustion on his face doubling as several spells failed to grant him access to the server. "Yevir is my twin, although not many know. He is the leader of the trio – quartet," he added, glancing at Pearl, "– seeking to reverse the corruption spreading throughout the Watchers.