A Change In The Horizon || The Lost One AU

33.Evolutionary Realization

So this picture was drawn by SuspiciousSheep ! They drew this about 9 months ago, and I was really in awe when I saw it because it was just so good! 

A bit of a fun fact: When I was debating whether or not to write a fanfic, Sheep was the one to convince me to just go and try it. None of this would be possible without her so <3

~🌤~

'We understand.' The Great Lady assured Xelqua after some time had passed in the Sanctum. 'Even after all this time, you mimic human behaviors. It is common for humans to drag themselves into despair, even though it costs them their resources and produces no benefit.'

Xel couldn't help but feel his wings shudder. He may have calmed down, but only externally. Anything that had been said about Miesall and his own grief still boiled his blood at the thought. He stayed silent, obedient, as a Watcher should as the Great Ones carried on.

'We understand that you are trying your hardest to put aside such infantile feelings.' The Lady continued. 'And so, we shall show you mercy and spare you from the depths of the Void just this once.'

Her words were signed oh so delicately, so gentle. Her fingers moved in a way that showed care, but it didn't reach Xel for the contents of such words were nothing short of cruel in his opinion. While he usually wasn't good at concealing his emotion, he bit down, trying to lock away any hint of it on his face. He could almost hear his gut tell him that they didn't mean it like that, they didn't know the words that they were saying. It told him that they were trying their best to be supportive.

Maybe that was so. Maybe it wasn't. Neither would change the fact that it had come as a full fledged insult. Not only to Xelqua himself, but Miesall as well. Miesall deserved to be remembered and lamented and cried over. To be loved. Xelqua was the only one willing (although technically not by choice) to take on the burden of doing so. His entire being forced him to. The Watchers, none of them held the same view.

It occurred to him that even Miesall was a Watcher. Both physically, and morally. Although he had begun to act human, he had strong roots as a Watcher. He recalled the time when he had asked if Xel had been done crying over his friends long ago. His words had meant to be kind, but they came harsh instead.

He didn't like to think about that.

In any case, he gave the two seers a practiced bow. "How benevolent of you." He replied, keeping the mock out of his tone, though with such a big fancy word on his tongue, one that sounded like one any other Watcher would use, he couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly. In this way, they did not pick up on his slight deception.

~🌤~

With little more dialogue following, Xelqua excused himself to his room once more to be left alone with his thoughts.

He laid, sprawled out on the hard ground. He was tempted to kick off his sandals to be a bit more comfortable, but he resisted the temptation.

He couldn't help but think for hours, days, maybe even months about the Watchers. How each and every one, they hadn't cared about one of their own. Even if he personally were to not be close to the creature that had died, he would've given plenty of room for those who did mourn. He would've felt bad for them, and for the one lost, even if it wasn't such a personal dagger through his heart.

But the Watchers, all of them, didn't care one bit. How heartless! How cruel! To even say that he had been acting irrationally to even miss him!

He tried to reason with himself. Watching for hundreds of years was not easy; even he had seen his fair share of death, wars, destruction. Maybe that had hardened their hearts. Even at these times, his blood boiled deep underneath his skin. No, that was not an adequate excuse for how they had acted, and still were, and probably would always. Had the Watchers always been this way? He tried to remember way back when, his human memories that had taken place so long ago...