Space Man

Smoke

Xisuma pov

I could already feel the tension in my shoulders before I even opened my eyes, a familiar discomfort settling in. It wasn’t long before I realized something was off. I wasn’t in my room, not in the way I remembered it. The soft buzz of my helmet’s interface hummed in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t where it was supposed to be—again.

I bolted upright, heart racing, a sharp, disorienting panic creeping in as I scanned my surroundings. Where was I?

Every time Xavier decided to have his fun, it felt like a cruel game. I never knew where I’d wake up, what memories had been altered, or how much time had passed. But I did know that this—waking up like this, confused and scared, not knowing how I’d gotten here—was becoming too much.

My fingers instinctively reached for my helmet, my head, trying to confirm everything was intact. But as always, there was that subtle difference—a small but telling sign that Xavier had gotten to it.

"Xavier," I muttered, trying to calm myself. The last thing I needed was to give him the satisfaction of seeing me unravel in this state. He knew how much it bothered me, how disorienting it was, and that was exactly why he did it.

The unfamiliar room around me was dimly lit, shadows stretching across the walls, making the space feel even more unsettling. It wasn’t just the disorientation. It was the fact that Xavier had done this—again—and had gotten into my head, quite literally.

The worst part was that I couldn’t tell if he was playing some sort of twisted prank or if there was something more behind it. All I knew was that the longer I sat there, the more my mind spiraled, trying to piece together what had happened, and if I'd missed something important.

I sighed, running a hand over my face, trying to shake off the feeling of helplessness. "I’m not gonna let him get to me this time," I muttered under my breath, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I believed myself.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel a knot tighten in my chest. I had to find out what was going on, what Xavier was trying to do—and more importantly, I had to find a way to stop him from messing with my mind, with my reality, again.

My heart skipped a beat as I looked down at Keralis, lying motionless on the floor. His usual warmth, the comforting presence I’d grown used to, was gone. A cold dread spread through me as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. This had to be a nightmare. There was no way any of this was real. No way I could’ve hurt Keralis—especially not like this.

The weight in my chest only grew heavier as I glanced at the other hermits scattered around the room. They, too, were unconscious, their forms tangled in awkward positions, but none of them seemed to have suffered the same unsettling stillness that Keralis had. My breath hitched in my throat, panic beginning to claw at my insides.

Why wasn’t he moving?

I staggered forward, my legs shaky as I knelt by Keralis’ side. The usual spark in his eyes was absent, and his breathing was shallow. I tried to call out his name, but my voice was lost in the thick haze of confusion surrounding me. “Keralis,” I whispered, reaching out, my fingers trembling as I lightly touched his shoulder.

His skin was cold, like a chill that seeped through me, freezing me in place. My head was pounding, the disorienting fog clouding my thoughts. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be real.

But what if it was?

I tried to remember—anything—what had led up to this, how I ended up here, how Xavier was involved. There had been a strange feeling in the air before everything went black, a sense of something shifting in my very mind. Had Xavier taken control again? Had I done something to him—hurt him—without even realizing?