The Pit

Rest

Xisuma pov

I couldn't stop pacing, my boots scuffing the stone floor as I rubbed my hands on my pants, trying to dry the anxious sweat that wouldn't stop. Every second that ticked by felt longer than the last. My eyes kept drifting to Xelqua, unconscious but oddly peaceful in this moment, though that was anything but reassuring.

"You're worrying too much," Xavier said suddenly, his voice cutting through the tense silence. He sat calmly, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes never leaving Xelqua's still form.

I stopped pacing for a moment and looked at him. "What do you mean?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer. Everything felt too surreal, too precarious.

He just stared at Xelqua for a moment, like he was studying him. "He doesn't stay asleep for long. It's not healthy for him, but he'll be back up in a few minutes," Xavier said, sounding so sure, so calm. I wished I had even half his confidence.

I frowned, glancing back at Xelqua. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

Xavier chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, but it should ease your mind. Your server will be fine, too. You're lucky you appointed someone else to be an admin while you're here. If you had all of your admin powers right now, they'd have no choice but to keep you." He paused, letting that last part sink in.

I stopped rubbing my hands on my pants, feeling a sudden weight settle in my chest. "Keep me?" I echoed, trying to make sense of it. "What do you mean 'keep me'?"

Xavier's gaze finally left Xelqua and met mine, serious now. "If you came here with all of your admin powers active, the Watchers wouldn't let you leave. They'd bind you here, like they have with so many others. You're too valuable, too powerful in their eyes. That's why it's so dangerous for us to be here for too long."

I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling the gravity of what he was saying. "So, I'm only safe because I'm not at full power?"

Xavier nodded. "Exactly. That's why we have to be careful. You're walking a fine line, and they know it."

I sank down onto the floor beside him, the weight of it all crashing down on me. "And what about Xelqua? Why does he... I don't understand him."

Xavier sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "He's complicated. He's one of them, but not like them. He has his own agenda. He's not an enemy, but he's not exactly our ally either. At least, not in the way you'd expect."

I looked over at Xelqua again, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. The way Xavier talked about him, it was as if Xelqua was both prisoner and warden in this twisted place.

I watched Xelqua's slow movements as my brother spoke, his words heavy with implication. "The story I got so far is that he was once an admin, turned into a Watcher by force. So now he has his own agenda, trying to destroy them from the inside. But... I don't know if that story is true, or how old it is, or if it's just rumors." Xavier's voice was steady, but there was a flicker of doubt. "Watcher power and admin ability combined. He came here fully activated, with all his power-and they kept him."

Xelqua stirred again, his hand pressing against his stomach as if holding back a wave of sickness. His wings twitched lightly, like they were too heavy for him to move fully. He sat up slowly, his movements sluggish, as though even the act of sitting was a monumental effort. For a moment, I thought he might collapse again. His arm trembled slightly as he steadied himself, taking a deep breath, his wings fluttering behind him in faint, tired bursts.

I could tell, even from this distance, that he was still exhausted. His body language said everything his words didn't. But despite his weakened state, I could feel an underlying strength, like a force simmering beneath the surface. He didn't say a word as he sat there, his eyes half-lidded, his gaze distant.