Nobody wins. (Hermitcraft x life series members au)

Origin Of Power

"Many men think power comes from ones strength, how many men they can kill in the battlefield, or how many kings they can stab in the back." The rapsy, breathless voice says, leaning back on her chair.

"And you presume that to be wrong?" Xb asks, book in hand.

"I do. Power does not come from strength. The most powerful man in the realm has never killed a man in his life." Cleo replies, slowly standing and making her way to a slanted bookshelf.

"And who is this mysterious man? and how he came to acquire said power." Xb asks with a smirk on his face.

"Cub, the master of the kingdom's wealth, the richest man in every realm in every continent, without a doubt, and how he came to acquire this power. He had the right friends and the right brain." She says, pulling a book titled "History of the Great Wars" from the bookshelf, wiping the dust off the top and placing it on a table in front of her.

The smile wipes from Xb's face, having remembered Cub's reaction to the letter at his own execution, how he had always been lingering in the back of every moment in the kingdom, he was always whispering in the King's ear telling him what to do and what to say.

"These books don't mention men like him, and if they do, they do not mention their brains, only their titles as master of wealth, or master of whatever title they had been given, there's one thing about them all, they come from no royal family, no rich family or a family with a recognisable name at all." She says, flicking through the pages as Xb watches eagerly.

"So? What does thay have to do with anything?" He asks, walking closer to her to see the book.

"It means they have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, men like him would see everything in this kingdom burn if they could rule over the ashes." Cleo spits out directing her attention to him before noticing Scar skipping up the stairs towards her.

"Mother! Xb! there are people here." He says with a rusty axe in hand as Xb rushes to grab his sword.

"Who? Did you see who?" Xb asks, creeping down the spiral stairs as he looks out a slit in the wall, spotting an all too familiar black coat wrapped around a man on a horse.

"Stay here, Scar." He whispers before reaching the bottom and putting his sword away, standing in front of the door waiting for one of them to try enter.

He can hear them getting closer as he calms his breathing, hoping they will peacefully leave and he won't have to deal with his old partner.

The footsteps stop, and for a moment, the air is silent, the air is calm and nothing makes a sound, he can think, he can see everything, but after that moment is over everything is a hundred times louder than before, and the doors swings open in front of his eyes, and he looks into the eyes of his friend with fear.

The man freezes in front of him, a shock going through his body before he places a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Xb?" He mutters out, looking into the frightened eyes of his former friend, a man exiled before him.

"Hypno." Xb says, starting to pull the sword out, but before he can, he spots the man behind Hypno. He could have sword he died in that moment because he was seeing a ghost, a dead man standing before him.

Hypno pulls his sword out while Xb is distracted, a sword Xb had made for him, arguably the best sword he had ever made, and it being used against him now, slamming his sword to the floor leaving him defenseless.

"Xisuma, is that you?" he says, stepping back against the wall with tears in his eyes, which flicker between the man he knows and the nan he knew.

"Xb, we won't hurt you. We're going back to dogwarts. Have you got any food to spare." Hypno says, sheathing his sword and holding out a hand to Xb.