RETURN OF THE WATCHERS GUILD

ive spent 4 straight days making paper dragon puppets

i only like 2 of my creations

sob

~

" When I was a little kid,"

A small Grian runs across a dark wood floor, grinning. He had small little parrot wings that flared with excitement.

"Like really little, like 8 or so.."

Grian, with his tiny little wings, approached a towering door. It was cast in darkness, looming and intimidating.

"I was playing in my mother's study... a place in the house I wasn't supposed to go."

His mother's study was a dark room, lined with walls of animal skulls. One wall was dedicated to a detailed shrine, with an angelic figure carved in stone.

It felt sinister.

" My mother fancied herself a spiritual,"

Grian touched the shrine. A rush of air poured around it, running through Grian's feathers and hairs in an instant before fading. He grinned.

" Her study was filled with psychedelic decor"

Grian giggled, starting to run his hands around shelves. It contains more than originally seen; potions and herbs and crystals.

"She kept an eye in a bottle, on top of a shelf."

Grian is exiting now. He glances at the for-spoken bottle- a purple liquid with a glowing eye inside. It was an unusual eye, too, not a human one.

"And it shattered on the ground when I slammed the door.."

The sound of glass is loud, distinct. Grian gasped, opening the door for a second before realizing what had happened.

Oh no.

" I told my father everything,"

There was a large man looming over Grian. He didn't have parrot wings.

Strange.

"Told him I was so, so sorry.."

He bends down to Grian's level, lifting the sniffling kid's chin to look him in the eye.

"He told me, 'don't cry, when she comes home tonight..."

Grian is looking up willingly at his father as he talks, regaining the earlier energy slowly.

"'we can make everything ok.. this is all we have to say'"

It cuts to Grian & his father staring at an extremely angered woman. Her blonde hair falls in waves, matching Grian's. She also has no wings. Instead of blue eyes, she possess bright purple eyes that burn with the fury of a thousand.

"We don't remember an eye in a bottle, it must've fallen off its shelf alone."

"We know you loved it, we're so sad it's broken.. but neither one of us was even home."

The woman stared them down for a second longer before pinching her nose and sighing.

"And it's our word.."

Grian looked down at the floor, his wings drooping. He probably felt like he'd disappointed her.

"Yes, our word.."

His mother leans down, murmuring sweet things that lift Grian's attitude once more.

Her anger seems to have faded.

It worked.

"Against hers."

The scene fast forwards slightly.

✵

"So I hid screw-ups from my mother,"

Grian, desperately trying to clean up a shattered glass and hide bad grades.

"Made up school awards to please my dad,"

A trophy off of eBay, a fake certificate.

"Whatever made the steak taste better."

The three at a dinner table, peaceful and happy and chatting. It feels.. off. Like this is a show, a rare moment.

Doubt and fear say it is.

"Whatever kept the waters calm."

It fast forwards again.

✵

"I was told to keep their secrets,"

Grian leans behind a door, listening to his mother talk to someone in her study regarding something. There's briefcases exchanged.

A gunshot. The man lies dead. Grian's mother picks up the other suitcase, clicking it open to reveal thousands in cash- the other is filled with something unknown, something dangerous.

"And in turn, they'd keep mine.."

Grian was running from an explosion. He was grinning, slightly larger parrot wings wide open. He still couldn't fly, yet.

"As I got older, I got dumber.."

Images of risky pranks and harsh sentences followed.

"I couldn't help but cross the line.."

Grian, walking into school with a scowl and a cut on his face.

Grian, staring down a police officer, who's waiting for him to talk.

Grian, watching his mother expand her empire.

"Three times I nearly wrecked my life,"

Grian was cowering in his mother's office, standing in a corner near the shrine as she looms above him with a scowl.

"Three times I nearly came to ruin,"

Grian, dragged by a rabbit character with a demented grin.

"Three times went crying, to my parents.. who said they'd make it go away."

His father looks down at Grian, a soft but pitiful smile on his face. 

"Yes, this is all we had to say.."

Police marked for Japan stare down Grian again, who is standing with angered parents.

"We never sent him to school in Tokyo. We didn't see Taurtis the day he died."

The police glare like they don't believe Grian's alibi.

"We haven't used a bus in some years now.. we don't care what you found outside."

They approach the cowering child, staring him down like he'd crack.

"And it's our word.."

One of the police touches his partner's shoulder, pulling him into a conversation.

"Yes, our word.."

The two police occasionally glance at a timid Grian as they discuss.

"It's our word,"

The talking finally stops as they turn to the family. Moment of truth.

"Yes, our word.."

"You're free to go."

"Against their's."

✵

Grian's mother seemed to grow worse. Facilities were built, guns and knives pulled on 'innocent' people simply looking for business.

("Somebody was paid..")

Grian, dragged by the arm to the dedicated shrine- it'd grown, with a larger than life statue. There's already people inside.

("To make it go away..")

There was a pot in the middle, filled with burning water. The followers drag a body to the pot. It's already severely chopped up, blood covering the limbs. Tattoos cover him, identifying the man as part of some gang.

Used to be, at least.

("Everyone was paid..")

The body boils in the pot. Grian's mother moved to add crystals and herbs, flowers and eyes and fingers into the pot. The followers are screaming.

("To make the problems go away..")

The pot is mixed. The shrine glows with power, its eyes opening and glowing with that stupid bright purple.

("Doesn't matter who gets screwed,")

The pot's contents are lifted by brilliant purple magic, which sucks it up and blankets everyone surrounding the sacrifice in a light purple magical mist.

("Or who is to blame..")

People scream, clapping and thanking the gods.

("Do what you need to do..")

Newspaper headlines warning of the dangers of the cult.

Newspapers, bankrupt and corrupt now.

("To clear your name..")

Millions of sacrifices. The facility's grow.

The Guild takes over the world.

("An inconvenient truth.. can be easily erased..")

✵

"When I was 26,"

Grian, introducing players to a new village- a new world, a new adventure.

"I was living in Evolution."

Pranks and joy, sneaking and server-wars.

"I developed some fun habits.. put my magic ties to work."

There's all of them, standing infront of a sickly purple portal. It's the same color as the magic from the Guild.

Watchers.

"I remember it so clearly..."

Again, all of them, trekking through the wilderness with a torn map that has riddles and words scribbled on it.

"I was home alone on a Tuesday night..."

Everyone jumped into a swirling, galactic-seeming portal. They landed alone, split worlds. Grian, standing on the soft yellow rocks.

"I was fighting some strange spirit.."

There's a dragon nearby, roaring and screaming with fury.

"But couldn't seem to find my friends.."

"LETS DO THIS, TIM!"

Grian takes a second to notice there's no one around. He sucks in a breath, standing straighter and charging.

"I finally slayed the monster,"

The dragon, exploding with a bright purple pop. It smells fishy.

It smells magical.

"And suddenly became aware.."

Grian approached a portal in the center, grinning. 

"I couldn't get back home easily.."

The portal wasn't lit. Grian was standing on the edge, staring down.

It was supposed to be lit.

"The Watchers were right there-"

"Hello, little empire.. we've been watching you.."

Grian screamed.

"And as I was taken helplessly,"

The Watchers had grabbed his arms and wing, dragging him towards a new portal.

"A million different thoughts came to me"

"PEARL- MARTYN- NETTY- JIM, SOMEONE, PLEASE-"

Grian sobbed. He couldn't go, he didn't want to go. He wanted to be back with his friends, his amazing friends.

"I saw my parents, hearing the news, 'Your only son went missing today..'"

God, what would everyone think? Gone, missing. Away.

What would his parents think?

"I thought about what they might say,"

Grian could see it clearly. Xeyla, addressing a crowd of reporters with a sincere tone. She'd use it to boost the Cult- 'LOOK! IT WORKS!'

"Our son, Xelqua? No, he moved up cosmically. He's very happy there or so we hear. He's always been so goddamn independent, the years go by and now we barely see him."

They'd spin a sob story to the followers, on how Grian was always meant for the stars. How all of the followers were basically little children underneath momma bird's wing.

"Our son, Xelqua? You must be mistaken, you mean the boy we raised as if our own? We loved him so much, he felt like our child.. but eventually we had to send him home."

And the cult would clap and cheer, energetic and excited.

"And it's their word.."

People would investigate, surely.

"Yes, their word,"

But, even if they did.. Xeyla would simply fix the problem.

"It's their word."

She'd continue preaching lies, all while Grian is trapped, stuck, forced to remain.

"Yes, their word,"

It was always lies. The base of his world, everything was lies.

"On it's own."

He was just foolish enough to think he'd never be one of them.

~

opinions?