The pre-dawn sun peeked through the window of the small room I was inside. I blinked slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust. The long time I spent in the Void has left my eyes extremely sensitive to light. I sat up and stretched, looking over at the other hermits who had been a part of the sleepover last night. Iskall was wrapped in his sleeping bag partly on top of Mumbo, who was squashed uncomfortably against a wall. Scar is cocooned in a blanket that occasionally floats toward the ceiling before coming back down again; perks of being a wizard. Grian's blanket roll had been discarded, and he had wrapped himself in his softly glowing golden wings.

Silently, I moved over to the door, careful not to wake any hermits. I went down the stairs and exited the small hidden living space. I open my elytra and zip to the top of one of the jungle trees, landing on one of the topmost branches. I found a flatter area and started doing a magic check-up, checking that I'm recovering sufficiently. The levels were high enough that I could use magic freely, but given my current situation, it probably would be best to avoid magic use for now. The hermits don't need another reason to distrust me.

The wind rustles through the leaves, and I take a deep breath. There's nothing to panic about right now, so I allow myself to enjoy the sunrise. The beautiful colors spread across the sky like a painter's brush strokes across the canvas. The waves of colors blend, creating a beautiful gradient that stretches across the sky. I breathe the fresh air. It's been far too long since I've watched a proper sunrise.

Standing, I look around at the various farms that Grian has going on. I see a chicken farm, as well as a couple of cows. There is also a nearby wheat field. Smiling, I glide down to the individual farms, gathering ingredients for breakfast.

/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\

I hesitate in front of the stove I've somehow managed to construct outside the mansion. I take a deep breath and slowly pour the pancake batter onto the griddle in a distinct pattern. I haven't done this since Xisuma and I were kids. We used to create intricate patterns with pancakes, cooking areas longer to achieve a darker color, and making beautiful pancake art.

The batter I poured spreads to form the veins of a leaf. I let it sit for a few seconds before filling in the edges. Judging the time just right, I flip the pancake, the leaf pattern showing up on the other side. The pancake cooks a bit more before I move it to a plate on the side. I start the next one, this time making the shape of a pickaxe head and adding the handle.

I cook in silence for a while, making more shapes with the batter and setting them on the platter. The flutter of wings startles me out of my silent mind, and I turn to see Grian standing behind me.

"Found you!" He exclaims as he folds his wings behind him. I nod in reply, flipping the latest pancake, a spaceship, onto its uncooked side. I hear several firework rockets go off, and Iskall, Scar, and Mumbo all fly out of the main hallway to where Grian and I are.

"Good morning hermits!" I smile as I greet them. "I made pancakes for you all, so help yourselves."

Grian grabs a pancake almost immediately. He puts it on a plate along with several others and promptly drowns it with syrup. Scar follows soon after Grian, similarly loading his plate, although he uses less syrup. Iskall and Mumbo grab pancakes after watching both Grian and Scar eat them with no adverse reactions. I suppress an eye roll. If I wanted to hurt them, I had plenty of opportunities while they were asleep. I refrain from saying it out loud, though.

I only have enough batter for a few more pancakes, so I ask the jungle crew what shapes I should make. Scar, unsurprisingly, asks me to make some crystals. Grian asks for a pesky bird, and Iskall makes a sound in his throat like he's trying to cover up a laugh.

"What's so funny, Iskall?" Mumbo asks, provoking Iskall to drop the act and laugh out loud.

"I was going to ask if Xen could make some Grain," Iskall says between giggles, "but then I realized that she wouldn't get it. Grain is Grian misspelled, and the autocorrect on the communicators is always getting it wrong."

I burst out laughing at Grian's expression at the request. I turn to the stove, quickly making an accurate representation of Grian out of pancake batter. The batter is all gone now, so I set the empty bowl in my inventory and flip the Grain pancake. I slid it neatly onto the plate, and all of us burst out laughing, even Grian.

A burst of firework rockets interrupts our mid-morning joke. Xisuma swoops out of the sky on his elytra, landing neatly next to our outdoor cooking area. The two of us make eye contact, and I can tell that he is smiling underneath the helmet. He pulls me into a hug, and I stand there stiffly, wondering what I'm supposed to do. It's been so long since I've had a hug while entirely conscious and rational.

I pull away from the hug, smile fading. I know that I need to leave now that X is here. He probably has some things to show me. I move off to the side and wash the bowl I used for the pancakes, leaving it on top of the stove. X speaks quietly with Grian while I do this, probably asking how much trouble I caused.

When I return, X thanks Grian for hanging out with me. To my surprise, Grian hugs me as well, wrapping both his arms and wings around me. We pull away, and I make eye contact, thanking him for the chat yesterday. He nods with the biggest smile yet on his face.

I turn to Iskall, Mumbo, and Scar, thanking them for coming to spend time with me, even though it was probably way out of their comfort zone. I shake hands with each of them once again, and then Xisuma and I spread our elytra. We fire rockets and fly over the treetops in the direction of X's base.

X is very excited about something, smiling as he goes into the house first. I unclip the helmet from my belt, resting it on the table. I seldom wear it, and it's a hassle to carry around. X returns from his admin office holding a metal band, similar to one he wears around his wrist. A communicator.

"I got worried yesterday when I couldn't contact you," he explains, helping me clip it on my left wrist. "I want you to be able to communicate with me and the hermits while you're here so that we can help you out of danger or things like that. Go ahead and set it up!"

I tap the wristband, and a small holographic screen pops up, floating just above my wrist. Please enter your name. I type "Xenelis" into the floating screen and watch the communicator set itself up. Soon, it has registered me on the server group chat.

Hermitcraft Chat

<Xenelis> Hi!

<Grian> o/

<Xisuma> Hey everybody, Xen has her own
communicator now. No need to ping me!

My communicator pings with several messages.

<ImpulseSV> Hey Xen! Would you like to hang
with team Z.I.T?

<Xenelis> Sounds like fun. Should I head over soon?

<TangoTek> Yeah, we're already gathering

<Zedaph> What should we expect to do?

<Xenelis> You never know with me

<TangoTek> You never know with us either

<Zedaph> Fair point

<Xenelis> X, should I be scared?

<Xisuma> Yes, you should be terrified

<Xisuma> I'm joking only a little bit

<Xenelis> ...That's comforting. Grain?

<Grian> Who is this Grain character?

<Iskall85> I wasn't kidding about autocorrect

<Xenelis> *Grian

<Grian> You should be fine as long as it doesn't
involve ravagers or death

<TangoTek> There goes my plan

<ImpulseSV> Dang it!

<Xenelis> I'm heading over to the shopping
district now

<Xenelis> Don't drop me in lava, please

<ImpulseSV> We'll see about that. See you soon!

I turn off the communicator and glance at Xisuma. He is smiling broadly as the conversation wraps up. He hands me a few basic items from a chest, like blocks, a pickaxe, and food. I place them in my inventory, organizing them so I can access them quickly. I walk out of the house with Xisuma, the two of us flying up to his nether portal tower. The whites and greys go nicely together, but they lack something. I look at the bright yellow suit X has on.

"Do you like the tower?" Xisuma asks, noticing my gaze.

"It looks really good with the white and gray colors, but I think it could use a little pop," I responded. Gesturing to his suit, I continue, "Maybe some yellow to match the bee theme?"

Xisuma nods, thinking. "Yeah, that should work. I'll experiment with different shades later today. Have fun with Team Z.I.T. and try not to die. I don't want to see any death messages in the chat today."

"I'll try," I smirk. I step into the nether portal and let the purple magic whisk me away. Xisuma gives me one last wave before he disappears.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Hels was in the Void. Ok, so that's nothing new. He has been there for quite a while now. The Void pulls and twists at his mind again. He squashes down the memories it brings up, focusing on only one thing.

Xenelis. Focus on her. Remember her smile and story. You'll see her again. You won't die here alone, he tells himself. Frustrated, the Void retreats. It hums angrily, gathering energy. It drives a spike through his right arm, straight through the nerve endings near his wrist. Hels screams. The Void withdraws the blade, preparing to slam it into his other arm.

A falling sensation comes over him, and his stomach drops. He couldn't tell if he was actually falling. Suddenly, he lands. In a box. An obsidian box. Amazing. He might even say, peachy. The top of the box is open to the air, but it is too high for him to jump and reach. The blood drips down his right hand's fingers. Yep, definitely peachy.

A shape appears at the top of the box, looking down on him, their face obscured by a white mask.

"Helsknight," the figure says in a deep, masculine voice. "It is with pleasure that I greet you. I have a proposal of great urgency to share with you."

"If it involves harming Wels, forget it," Hels snaps back. He knows what got him in the Void, and Hels does not repeat mistakes.

"To cause injury to Wels is not of importance to me. To assist me in this hour of need would free you from this dark place. What sayest thou?"

"Fine. What is it?"

"This mask is of great importance to our plans. Place it over your face," the figure says mysteriously. He holds out a white mask that is semi-translucent. Impulsively, Hels grabs it and puts it on his face without a second thought. Everything goes dark for him as the Watcher laughs evilly. He goes down into the box and grabs Hels. He activates the mask, merging himself with Hels' physical form.

Yep. Things are definitely peachy.