AN: My husband got me addicted to Grian and Hermitcraft... It become a little bit of a problem...
It started out as a joke.
Having a giant hole in the middle of their town with no safety precautions in a town of pranksters, meant that it immediately became a popular spot to get a few laughs. The unwary or the careless often found themselves falling in or being pushed, much to the delight of Boatem's residents, even when they themselves were falling victim to it. When Grian added the trapdoor to "sacrifice" people to the void, everyone giggled at his joke. They even had their first official meeting dangling past the edge, enjoying the dangerous thrill they felt.
No one's quite sure when things began to change, but all the residents felt that something was different about the hole to the void. A tingling energy could be felt around the edges of the top that grew slowly stronger the deeper and closer someone got to the void. The grass around the edge grew wild and those in Boatem swore the dirt was darker than it had been before. The residents of Boatem also need started feeling a certain draw to the void and had all their meetings somewhere within the hole they'd and even the more causal group chats around the top edge. Those that visited just brushed it off as the craziness one should expect from that group of hermits and just stayed a healthy distance from the whole unless they find themselves pushed in as a joke.
The first major sign that something was going on was when Scar sacrificed himself to the void but still found himself within it when he respawned.
When Scar would describe it after the incident, he would always mention how he should have been terrified. He was trapped in the void, unable to move and had no hope of escape. He should have been scared out of his mind, but he hadn't been. Sure he had been startled to open his eyes and still be in the void rather than his bed, but instead, he felt comfortable, like he was in a warm embrace. Scar swore he felt the void watching him with gleeful curiosity as if recognizing him from all the times he had fallen in. Once the void's curiosity had been stated, Scar found himself let go and sitting at his desk in the Swagon.
When the other residents of Boatem heard the story, they knew they should report what had happed to Xsumia, or at the very least cover up the whole to the void, but they couldn't bring themselves to do either. Instead, their curiosity drew them even stronger to the void.
Scar and Pearl often sat on the grassy edge at the top, often gazing into the depths below them as they chatted about random things. Mumbo and Impulse could often be found at the bedrock edge of the void, building red-stone machines to study the void and chatting excitedly about the results they'd get. Grian, the most reckless of the bunch, would fly within the surface layer of the void itself. He'd describe how he could feel the void watching him during these daring flights and even try to reach out to grab him. He knew it should have been frightening to feel something trying to get him, but he couldn't help but feel it was more of a thrilling chase between friends. During the few times he was caught by the void, he didn't feel like prey within the claws of a predator, but rather like the friendly victim of a successful prank.
The residents of Boatem, along with spending more time around the void, also began feeding it regularly. They didn't throw themselves in as much, though that still happened, rather they feed it things that were precious to them. Peral would give it some of her favorite plants and blocks she'd use in her terraforming while Mumbo would trow in some of his many potatoes, usually with random messages on them, along with some of his favorite saplings. Impulse would after throwing in amethyst shards as well as chocolate and candy he was making in his factory while Scar would throw in the latest hat he designed. Grian would through in some of his favorite trinkets and souvenirs he had been collecting throughout the season, like the old signs that explained the "Tegg" and some of Mumbo's copper that had "lagged" into his innovatory.
It was longer than expected for the other Hermits to realize just how strange Boatem was becoming, though that had more to do with the high level of strangeness that normally occurred on their servers rather than the other Hermit's lack of observational skills. Once they did realize what was going on, there were a lot of discussions and even arguments about what should be done. Those outside of Boatem were very concerned about the void changing and worried about it spreading while those within tried to assure them that the changes weren't anything to fear.
In the end, nothing much changed. The void hole wasn't causing more damage than expected for having a hole to the void in the middle of town and the Boatem residents were happy with its existence. While Xisuma and the others would keep an eye on the situation, they let it be for now. The residents of Boatem were delighted to keep their void, watching it and wondering when it'll start watching them back.
