-Of Sacrifice
Watcher snippet.
Lore bits
1,649 words
A little late, but the oc poll winner is here! Again, Watcher is difficult for me to write. She is... not a fully good person.
“Wow. You are completely unbothered, aren’t you?”
The masked being sprawled across the couch simply lifted her head and hummed pleasantly, the eyeholes in her red mask empty and inky. A sign she was in a neutral mood.
Rin simply scowled as he set his pulse rifle aside, beginning to shed his armor as he began to descend the steps into the ‘living’ area of the station’s common room. He took in the woman’s usual impeccable appearance. Black vest, red button up with the sleeves rolled up, black pants with those ridiculous robotic heels.
A snarl curled his lip before he took off one of his pauldrons and threw it at the lounging creature. Before it hit her, she caught it, her mouthless mask unchanging as she stared at the human approaching her.
“… You’re upset.” She observed with a curious tone, her short boyish hair shifting slightly as she tilted her head.
“Yeah, I’m upset.” Rin growled as he leaned over the back of the couch, “I just spent hours fighting against a swarm of Hive to contain an outbreak, and you’re here napping!”
“I wish,” Watcher denied in a light tone as her gaze drifted away, facing the wall as she muttered offhandedly, “I don’t need to nap, unfortunately. I miss sleeping.”
Her attention was dragged back to Rin when the man grabbed the front of her shirt and nearly hauled her over the couch to face him.
“You are an omnipotent, indestructible monster that can teleport, survive the vacuum of space, and destroy cities with a snap of your fingers, but you can’t get off your ass long enough to help fight!?” Rin nearly screamed, glaring down at the being with undisguised hatred, “I thought you were here to help humanity!?”
For a moment, Watcher didn’t say anything. Then she slowly, with more strength than Rin was comfortable acknowledging, uncurled his fingers from her shirt with an unbothered air, “I am. Unfortunately, there are rules.”
Rin scoffed as he shoved her back onto the couch, walking over to the nearby kitchen to seethe and eat something, “Right, right. The ‘rules’ you’re supposedly bound to. Like what, not going down to Earth yourself to fight?“
“I’m not allowed on Earth because it’s a neutral zone for magic of all types.” She reminded him in an annoyed tone, her mask eyes shifting to narrow slightly at the older man, “If I go down there, I’m bound by laws already put in place by older beings. I’d be at an extreme disadvantage, even with neutral magic.”
“Yeah right.” Rin growled as he tore open a cupboard, grabbing a bowl as he continued, “I've seen your ‘neutral ground’ magic. It's bullshit! You tore apart an armada-”
“In space.” Watcher clarified in an aggravated tone, “I tore apart an armada in space. I'm not allowed to do that on earth-”
“Why!?” Rin snapped, throwing the bowl against the counter hard enough to crack it. He turned back to her and braced himself on the kitchen island counter as he demanded, “Why aren't you ‘allowed’!? Do you have any idea how quickly you could end this outbreak!?”
“I do.” Watcher curtly snapped. Rin had to stop himself seeing her eyes begin to glow that sickly yellow color again. Pinpricks of light that gave off an eerie unsettling feeling. Fish eyes… or something Rin would see in those uncanny valley memes. She continued as she stood up and walked around the couch, “I've done this before, remember? I already know.”
Rin hesitated, sensing one wrong step could set her off. Lowly, he repeated, “Why?”
Watcher stared at him for a moment, and Rin was prepared to be torn to bits. Then she sighed and reached into one of her pockets, pulling out a faded photo and setting it on the counter.
He had seen her look at it before battles. From rumors and speculations, people assumed it was of her human life. Her family, or maybe even friends. Rin was not prepared to see the oddest assortment of people in the photo. Most of them looked to be adults. A robot in one corner, a middle aged man beside a younger male with multicolored hair wearing a mask. And in the center-
“Holy shit…” Rin whispered as his eyes widened, his throat closing up at the sight of the adolescent smiling in the picture, “Is that Hellfrost?”
Hellfrost. A legend among the stars and foreign empires. A man, or dragon to be more precise, wanted by the Citadel. And the only thing currently keeping humans from going extinct. A one man army who could not die and fought to end outbreaks across the universe. Rin’s group’s mentor.
The violet dragon looked… happy in this picture. No older than a sixteen year old, though the Hellfrost Rin knew appeared at least twenty-eight. And next to him… a girl no more than twelve in an oversized black hoodie with a big grin on her face, crushed in the young dragon's embrace.
Rin's stomach sank when he realized what he was looking at.
“... You knew him. That's why you two are fighting. Something happened-”
“I reset so he could have a real fighting chance.” Watcher informed him in an even tone, though regret and bitterness festered in her words, “We lost the first time, me and my group. Zxin tore them apart, and made us watch. Earth was overrun with the Hive.”
Looking away, Watcher continued, “I didn't know what else to do at the time. I was scared, and he was losing. And I was right next to one of Zxin's Consoles. It gave me the option to reset the timeline and give us a second chance, and I took it.”
“-At the cost of your humanity…” Rin guessed with rising nausea, “That's why you can't go to Earth. That's why the Citadel calls you an Outlier. You erased yourself from the timeline as payment to turn back time.” A sacrifice.
“I did.” She confirmed in a sweet tone. Her eyes no longer glowed as she picked up the picture again, lost in thought, “They're far away from here now. I made sure they weren't picked again. Devanii, though… he may not remember, but he knows I did something. And he hates not knowing all the variables. He hopes to… battle it out of me.”
Shrugging, she put the picture away as Rin stared at her, the puzzle pieces falling into place in a gut-wrenching way.
“... You chose me and my group as a sacrifice. A replacement.”
“Yes.”
“To protect your group.”
“Yep.”
“And Devanii is pissed at you for that.” Rim guessed slowly as his lips curled back, “Because that's exactly what he doesn't want. People dying needlessly. And he knows we aren't his friends.”
Well, they were friends, but fuck, now Rin knew why Hellfrost would look so sad when he watched them train. They weren't his to lead into battle. They never were. And he knew that.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Watcher confirmed unapologetically. Clapping her hands together, she chirped, “The good news is that he trained you and your friends wonderfully! I know you’ll survive!”
“You bitch.” Rin whispered in horror as he watched Watcher stride away back to the couch. “That's why. You can't go to Earth without reattatching to it and losing your powers. And Hellfrost will kick your ass, but still-”
“That's why I stay here.” Watcher finished as she dropped back onto the couch. “I keep more Hive and the Citadel from coming to earth, and you and your group eradicate the invasion from the ground.”
A lump formed in Rin's throat as he bowed his head, taking a shaky breath before asking halting, “And your group? Where did you send them?”
Watcher didn’t respond, quiet and reluctant as she lounged. Rin bared his teeth as he pushed himself away from the counter and drew one of his pistols, pointing it at the couch with barely controlled rage and grief. But he couldn't pull that trigger. He couldn’t. Because against his will, all he could see was a scared little girl watching her world end and the only family she possibly knew die in gruesome, unimaginable ways. And lo and behold, she found a solution at the cost of ever being with them again. And one of them wanting her dead. The only one she could freely interact with…
“Oh my god…” Rin whispered as he lowered the gun, his hand trembling. “Oh my god...”
They were a sacrifice. For her people. Watcher grew up in Oblivion for who knew how long knowing the future, and changing it as she saw fit. An entire universal tapestry, resown and remade to her idea of what safety and victory looked like.
No wonder an immortal like Hellfrost was pissed… how much had changed in his past? How much torture remained the same? Did Watcher even interact with him when he was locked in Oblivion? Did she even attempt to relieve any of the torture he went through growing up?
“You…”
The ship intercom beeped a pleasant jingle as Rin fought to urge to puke, causing Watcher to glance up in surprise.
“Welcome back: Agent Jessie - Agent Ace - Captain Hellfrost. Number of current occupants on the ship - Four.”
“That's my cue to leave.” Watcher grunted as she stretched. Glancing back at Rin, she supplied, “I would suggest checking your maps. I marked down some Hive nests to take care of. Ta-Ta!”
And she was gone in a flicker of static. Leaving Rin shaking in the small open kitchen with information he couldn't even share without revealing Watcher kept visiting the ship under his watch. Devanii wouldn't even be mad. Just... disappointed.
Hearing the heavy footfalls of his mentor down the hall and his group chattering cheerily, Rin decided to just blame his nerves on the battle…
One way or another, Watcher would get her due.
And, Rin hoped, payback for playing god.