Archive of Our Own

It was spinning. Everything was spinning, especially his head as static filled his ears. His head was in more pain than he could ever remember…could he even remember a different time where his head hurt? He wasn’t quite sure where he was for that matter. His name…that was hard to come by too. He gasped as he opened his eyes. He couldn’t even get a good look before he started coughing. His throat was dry, but the coughing made his chest ache. He sat up, straightening his back, and trying to get himself to stop coughing.

“Do you want some water? Or perhaps some tea?” a voice said. It sounded somewhat muffled, like it was filtered through something. He nodded as he turned his head. He could see a tall man, wearing a helmet over his head, but through the visor, he could see a friendly smile. He took the glass of water, then watched as he walked over to the stove to heat up some water. He drank the water he was given, and it helped. He drank the whole glass before he set it aside, and he could think again, despite how aware he was of the pain his body was in. “I was half-expecting to not see you ever wake up.”

He didn’t know what to say. He stared at the man who he assumed had saved him. He cleared his throat as he watched everything unfold in silence. He was trying to figure out anything, what was going on, where he had been, who he was–anything.

“You got a name?”

He had to think about it. It was on the tip of his tongue. He knew it, if only he just could vocalize it for a moment. “It’s Grian,” he said.

“My pleasure to meet you, Grian,” the man said. He sat down in the chair next to the bed Grian realized he was sitting in now. He put his hands on his helmet, took a deep breath, and removed it, setting it aside and he smiled at Grian. The first thing he saw was the large scar across his face, it formed an x over one of his purple eyes. He may not have been able to remember much, but he certainly knew that was an oddity. “I’m Xisuma.” He held out his hand to Grian, and Grian tentatively shook his hand.

“Do you happen to know how I got here?” Grian asked.

Xisuma nodded. “I found you, and I brought you here. You were in pretty bad shape.”

Grian furrowed his brow at Xisuma. He could have assumed that something happened to him. The question was what. He looked around the room. Hanging on a rope by the wall as a set of tattered dark gray and purple robes, on the table next to him was some sort of mask with a symbol on it the he knew what it was, but at the same time no memory of where it was from.

"Hey, how do your wings feel?" Xisuma asked.

"My wings?" Grian looked over his shoulder, seeing his beautiful, red, yellow, and blue wings. He flexed them. "They're alright."

"Good." Xisuma laughed. "I was worried they were injured, and I don't know how to fix them, and you'd never be able to fly again."

Grian stared at them, then glared at them, feeling some kind of resentment towards them. He looked back to Xisuma, who was standing up now as the teapot screamed. "It's alright, I'm not sure I know how to use them in the first place."

"Oh?" Xisuma glanced back at him as he poured the steaming water into the diffuser. "Well, that's alright, we can figure out how to get you in the sky." Xisuma returned, carrying a cup of tea and a bowl of soup, both of which he gave to Grian. He sat down again, and Grian noticed his breathing getting rougher. Xisuma pulled out a device, it looked old and ragged, but he put it against his face and breathed in. "Sorry, my body still isn't used to the Overworld air after all these years." Xisuma laughed again. His laugh was so soft and kind. He looked into Grian's eyes. "I can't help but to notice that your eyes are blue."

"I'm sorry, is that bad?" Grian asked through a mouthful of food. He swallowed.

"Not at all, my friend. It's just the void is a very powerful thing, and you show no signs of corruption. Very odd, indeed." Xisuma looked over Grian. He was eating the soup quickly, looking as though the poor guy hadn't eaten in days, even before Xisuma had found him. "And you don't remember a darn thing, do you?"

Grian stopped eating as he turned to Xisuma. "Not really, no," Grian said. He felt ashamed for not remembering anything. He knew he should have remembered something beyond just his name, but everytime he thought beyond that, it was blank.

"Well, no matter, you are welcome here with me as long as you need." Xisuma's face was so kind. It was the best descriptor for him that Grian could think of. He was just so kind.

"So, where am I?" Grian asked.

"My apartment in The Notched City."

Grian furrowed his brow. There was something familiar about that name. He pushed the blankets off of him, seeing that he was wearing a pair of sweatpants, probably Xisuma's, and a hoodie with holes cut out of the back so Grian's wings could fit through. Xisuma stood up quickly as he saw Grian was trying to get up.

"Hey, you really should take it easy, Grian," Xisuma said. He didn't want to physically block Grian from getting up, but he didn't exactly want him to get up at all, for his own health. Still, Grian pushed himself out of bed, despite his body hardly being strong enough to hold itself up, and his legs were shaking, and his head was spinning. He nearly fell, but Xisuma caught him and held him upright. "You should lay back down."

"I will, I just want to look out the window," Grian said. Xisuma sighed, he could already tell how stubborn Grian was going to be, so he helped him to the window, bringing over a chair so he could sit down at least while he was looking. It was like he was looking at something utterly confusing, and he needed to figure it out. He had gone still for a moment before he turned back to Xisuma. "I grew up here."

~~~~~~~~~~

Growing up different wasn't an easy task. Growing up different in the city was certainly even harder. Everything was complicated further by Grian not even looking like his parents. Sure, he did look like their son, but those wings of his raised suspicion. So, Grian and his parents hid them. His iconic red jumper wasn't iconic for no reason. It was big enough to fit his wings comfortably, as long as he kept them folded.

He tried to fly one time. It ended up with him having two scraped knees, a black eye, and a suspicion that his parents were the one who caused that. He never tried again. Not to mention he had no idea how he would explain that to his friends in school how he suddenly had wings and could fly, so he just never bothered to learn. He stayed grounded, but that was just fine with him. He had a good childhood, even when he was feeling like he was sweating to death when he had to wear the jumper in the summer. It was for the best for not only him, but also for his family, who he loved so dearly.

His parents always meant well, he always knew that. There was never a doubt in his mind whether his parents cared or not. They were loving, and doted on him, and made sure he had everything he wanted, and all of that love distracted him from the wings on his back. Though, there were nights he would stand in front of the mirror and stare at them, almost as if they were a foreign attachment to his body. Until he flexed them again and he remembered they were his. He had to teach himself how to preen his feathers, to make sure to get rid of the itchy feathers that had fallen off but got caught up, and pluck the broken ones.

Still, Grian knew, even at such a young age, that he was lucky to have the life he had. His teen years were filled with support and love, just like he was used to. Though, as a teen, he wished he could just show his wings, to accept them as a part of himself, and make the world accept that too. Those were just dreams, though. Grian knew they weren't attainable, he prided himself in his practicality. Humans weren't meant to fly, anyway.

That all changed one day, when Grian was caught. The jig was up, and Grian couldn't remember how to explain it all away, perhaps there was never an explanation in the first place.

~~~~~~~~~~

Despite his recovery going well, Grian still found himself weak, barely able to walk more than a few steps without getting tired, but being trapped inside all day was even more tiring. With the help of a cane, he was able to walk longer, now that he had something helping him to hold up his weight. Xisuma was never too far from him, just in case something happens, he would be there to help him. So, Grian left the apartment with Xisuma, deciding that maybe walking around would help either heal him faster, or jog his memory a bit.

Grian was alright with either outcome, or even if neither of them came to fruition, then at least he got some fresh air, and he could feel at least a little useful. He held Xisuma's grocery list while Xisuma carried the groceries themselves. They took it slow, not rushing anything especially since Grian found himself winded often and needed breaks. Xisuma assured him that it was no issue, and that they had plenty of time. By lunch time, they were already done with everything that Xisuma needed, although he had one last plan.

He took Grian to a boutique, and he took a seat, causing Grian to stare Xisuma down in confusion. "What are we doing here?"

"Well, you can't wear my clothes forever, can you? Pick out something to wear. It's on me, my friend," Xisuma said. He smiled before he pulled out his communicator. "I'll be here."

Grian wanted to leave, he was fine wearing Xisuma's hoodie for now, until he remembered where he could get his own money, he was content to just wear the oversized clothing that Xisuma had. At least they concealed his wings. Regardless, he started looking at the selection that was available. None of it really stood out to him; not the suits, not the hoodies, and certainly not the shorts. The only thing that caught his eye was the jumpers. They came in a wide variety of colors, but the one that caught his eye was the red one, the same shade of red he remembered wearing in the past. It was a familiar color.

"That's a good choice," a voice said from behind him. He turned to look at her, she was a sweet-looking older lady with glasses on the tip of her nose and a tape measure dangling around her neck.

"I used to wear these all the time," Grian said. He felt the soft and warm fabric in his hands. "Hey, I've got a bit of an odd request."

"Do you need it fitted? I could probably take it in a bit for you, dear," she said as she gently took it from Grian's hand.

"Well no," Grian said. He looked to Xisuma for backup, but he was busy typing something out on his communicator. "Here, it's easier if I show you." He quickly pulled his arms into the hoodie so he could lift it over his wings without hurting them, this was something he knew how to do perfectly. As soon as the hoodie was off, he let his wings unfurl. "Do you think you can work around these? Maybe make some holes in the back so they fit?"

The woman stared at Grian stunned for a moment before she walked behind Grian. She gently guided Grian's wings open, so he extended them as she began taking measurements. "That is no issue at all, sweetheart. You know, in all my tears I have never seen something like this, it's going to be a new, fun modification to make."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Grian said.

"Of course, dear. Let me take this in back, no more than half an hour, you can keep looking if you'd like," she gave Grian a kind nod before she walked into the back room, now carrying the jumper that Grian had picked out.

He was pleasantly surprised by the interaction, considering the last time he revealed his wings, it didn't go nearly as well. He froze for a moment, before he turned back to Xisuma. "The first time people found out I had wings, that was the last time I spent any meaningful time in this city."

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a normal day, and aside from the accident the day would have been one of many that blended in with the flurry of normal days. It was warm that day, and Grian, with his jumper, was getting hot. It's been a long time since he could remember those kids names or faces, in the end, that wasn't what mattered.

Grian had a part time job helping the local general store owner move boxes and deliver orders. He was getting older, and he couldn't do it anymore, so Grian didn't take the job because it paid well–it really didn't, it gave him some pocket change and that was enough–he took the job to help the owner since he grew up knowing him.

Grian was delivering a particularly heavy order, down a couple blocks from the store. He knew he should have taken it on a push cart or something, but he stubbornly started carrying it and didn't want to turn back. He found himself grossly hot, and it felt like even his wings were sweating, he didn't even know if they could sweat or not, but by the time that he had gotten the delivery dropped off he was so hot he felt like he was going to pass out. He found a quiet alleyway so he could take off his jumper for a bit and cool down before he made his return to the store. He sat down, spreading his wings and gently flapping them to give himself a little bit of a cooling breeze.

He was only sitting there for a couple minutes before he heard someone approaching, or at least a couple of people, he wasn't quite sure. He held his breath as he pushed himself into the shadows, hopefully enough to hide his wings. He tucked them behind his back. He stared out, hoping deeply that they would just walk back. They stopped at the entry of the alley, and they stared at Grian. He knew they were a group of kids from school.

"Is that Grian?" one of the girls asked.

"What in the world are you doing in the shadows like you're going to jump us?" One of the boys laughed, and the rest of them joined in.

It gave Grian a chance to gather his thoughts. "Just cooling down, I've got to go back to work soon." Grian looked for his jumper, and he cursed himself for leaving it so far away from him. He felt so exposed, and the feeling only got worse as the group of kids approached him. There were so many kids, and if he only knew how to fly, he would have just flown out of the way.

They were talking to Grian, but he couldn't recall a thing they said, he knew he was responding, but his adrenaline was coursing through him.

"Woah, look at this feather!" A girl picked up a feather. Grian recognized it. The technicolor feather was undoubtedly his.

Then there was a gasp, and a shriek, and Grian realized they could see his wings. The jig was up. Grian let his wings relax, and he was instantly surrounded, and the kids he thought he was friendly with, were surrounding him and someone pushed him to the ground. He was thankful he was able to protect his wings before they were damaged. He was surrounded by them, some were kicking him, most were just screaming at him, calling him names, calling him a freak, making fun of his wings. He tried to flap them, he tried to get out, but he couldn't take off. He was stuck, and he was sure this was it.

Then a voice was screaming at them to stop, and a tall kid broke through the crowd, standing between Grian and the kids. He was wearing a suit and had the start to a mustache on his face, Grian recognized him from school, but his name…his name was escaping him.

~~~~~~~~~

Grian looked at himself in the mirror. The new red jumper fit perfectly, and having his wings sticking out and free, it felt right. He extended them, looking at them in his full glory. He was smiling, as he felt like himself again. He was so thankful that Xisuma insisted on getting him his own clothes, so he felt like he had his own things now. He certainly looked healthier now too. He wasn't so sickly pale, and he had color in his face again, and life returning to his eyes.

He turned quickly as he heard the door opening. He folded his wings gently against his back and he walked towards the front door to greet Xisuma.

"Hey Grian. You look better today," he said. He adjust his helmet, and Grian could see Xisuma's amicable smile through his eyes.

"Thanks, I'm feeling so much better," Grian said. "Oh! I made lunch," Grian said excitedly. He gestured to the table, where he had set out a sandwich with berries on the side he had specifically set out for Xisuma. He had already eaten his own portion before Xisuma returned.

"Oh, thanks friend," Xisuma said as he sat down at the table. He took a deep breath before he took off his helmet so he could eat. Grian sat down with Xisuma, drinking his leftover cup of tea. "I've been thinking about that boy you said saved you from those kids."

"Oh? What about him?"

"Well, he sounded sorta familiar," Xisuma said. He pulled out his communicator. "Suit, mustache, about as tall as me but really lanky." Grian nodded as he listened to Xisuma. "Well, he's a friend of mine. He's part of Hermitcraft, he's a great kid, and I've been messaging him, so I traveled back to Hermitcraft, and I brought him back, he's just picking up a few things."

Grian perked up. "Really? When is he coming?"

"He said soon, he's just visiting someone first, and then he'll be here."

"Wait, Hermitcraft? What's that?"

"It's a little hard to explain, but it's a world a group of us make," Xisuma said. "I'll explain it better another time." He laughed, and Grian took it as is. "Do you remember his name?"

Grian closed his eyes, and he forced his brain to recall the information he wanted. He could hear jumbles of memories, see a wash of sights he knew he had seen before, until he remembered the kid reaching out a hand to him, and introducing himself as…"Mumbo Jumbo."

Xisuma smiled as he nodded. "Good, I was hoping I got the right tall guy with a suit and mustache."

Grian smiled, mostly he was proud of himself for actually remembering his name, because while he couldn't exactly remember the specifics, he knew that he was close to Mumbo and they had a great friendship. Grian wanted to say more, but there was a knock at the door. Xisuma took a breath from his inhaler before he got up and answered the door. Around Xisuma, Grian could see Mumbo. They only talked for a moment before Mumbo walked in and he looked at Grian, and Grian smiled back.

“Mumbo,” Grian said, smiling widely.

“Grian!” Mumbo smiled back. He hurried to Grian and gave him a hug, careful not to squish his wings. “I’m glad you’re alright, dude! Where have you been?”

Grian swallowed, looking at Xisuma, who was already stepping in. He grabbed Mumbo’s arm. “He doesn’t remember everything yet.”

“Oh, sorry, it’s okay, it’s just good to see you again, Grian,” Mambo said.

“Yeah, it’s good to see someone I remember,” Grian said as he stepped back and looked up so he could see Mumbo’s face. It was certainly the same face as he remembered, just a few years older, and a much fuller mustache.

“It’s quite funny that Xisuma found you, small world, ey?”

Grian chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it’s real lucky, yeah?” He quietly pulled on his fingers as he looked up at Mumbo, meeting his eyes. It wasn’t the first time someone had been exactly in the right place at the right time to save him. In fact, the last time he could remember someone being there for Grian was Mumbo.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was Mumbo who stood between Grian and the attackers. Grian could remember now. Mumbo stood there, tall and firm, despite him being so scrawny. There was no reason he should have stood up to Grian, but he did anyway, protecting him from the other kids. After a while, the kids left, deciding it was boring to keep harassing Grian, and then Mumbo helped to get him back to his feet.

“Are you alright?” Mumbo was slouching. He used to do that a lot in school, being taller than the other kids made him stand out more than he liked. Grian still noticed him, and he sympathized with him, knowing how many eyes would be on him if they only knew he had wings under that jumper.

Grian nodded, though he was sore, and frankly utterly embarrassed. “Yeah, thank you.”

“It’s no problem, I couldn’t take watching them do that to you,” Mumbo said. He turned, seeing Grian’s jumper on the ground. He picked it up, and gave it to Grian. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Grian held the jumper in his hands, feeling the fabric between his fingers.

“I’m Mumbo, by the way,” he said. “Mumbo Jumbo.”

“Grian.”

“I think I’ve seen you around before, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen you too.”

“I didn’t know you had wings, that’s really cool, are they real?” Mumbo was already reaching towards Grian’s wings.

At first, Grian pulled his wings back, but then he released his tension, and he moved his wing forward, so Mumbo could feel his feathers. “Yeah, completely real. I can’t fly, before you ask. I never learned.”

“Well, they’re really nice, quite impressive, really.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, dude! They’re awesome!”

Grian smiled as he straightened his back, and then suddenly realized he was still shirtless. Quickly, he folded his wings against his back and he put on his jumper. “Thank you, but I’ve got to get back to work. Maybe we can hang out later? I get off in an hour.”

“Oh yeah, for sure! Meet you back here?” Mumbo asked.

Grian nodded again as he finished adjusting his jumper so it wouldn’t rub awkwardly against his wings. “See you then, Mumbo.” He waved goodbye as he hurried off to get back to work.

That was the start of a good friendship. They spent nearly every day together after that, especially since they tried to stay away from other people. People saw Grian as a freak, and an easy target, and Mumbo could only help so much. They were the best of friends, and they immediately got to be really close. When they weren’t actively doing anything, they were still spending time together. Mumbo would be working on studying and practicing redstone, and Grian was drawing his ideas for buildings.

Despite the fact that Grian only spent a few more months in the city, they stayed close, vowing to keep in touch after Grian left, but Mumbo was still stuck, being a couple years younger than Grian. In fact, Mumbo was part of the reason Grian was able to get out, Mumbo was one of the people who helped Grian to escape. The other people, however…

~~~~~~~~~~

It was only supposed to be a day that Mumbo spent with Grian and Xisuma, but after that first day, he just couldn’t leave quite yet. Mumbo was just so excited to see Grian again, and very quickly, they had taken to laughing and goofing off like they had been, all while Xisuma was in the background, watching them have fun, and occasionally he would join in with them.

So, that one day turned into several days, which became two weeks before anyone realized that two weeks had passed. It was at that point that Xisuma gave them the key to his apartment, inviting them to stay as long as they wanted, but he had to go back to Hermitcraft to make sure everything was still fine, saying that he could only observe so much from the main world.

Then it was just Mumbo and Grian, and they were eating dinner that first night they were alone in Xisuma's apartment. It was nothing special, just some potatoes and chicken.

"Do you know if your parents still live here?" Mumbo asked.

Grian shook his head. "I doubt it. They were kinda driven out of town too."

"Right, I was just thinking we could go visit them, see if they could help you remember some things," Mumbo said.

"You've been a big help with that, Mumbo. I just wish you knew more about what happened after I left the city." Grian pushed the potato around his plate a bit, but he looked up and smiled at Mumbo. Just seeing Mumbo brought a lot of memories back for Grian, and a lot of good ones. He felt like his childhood was as complete as it was going to get, it was his adult life now that felt like it was off.

But in the end, Grian decided that it would be alright if he never remembered anything else. He knew he had his best friend by his side again. They cleaned up dinner, and as they were sitting around, they realized how little they had to do, so they decided to go for a bit of a walk before it got too dark in the city. Frankly, it was quite nice, and Grian didn't even care about the stares that he got at his wings.

"They're staring at you, Mumbo," Grian said, leaning closer to Mumbo so he could whisper it to him.

Mumbo laughed as he playfully pushed Grian a bit. "Nah, man, they're gawking at those big, obnoxious wings."

Grian giggled and his wings flexed. "It's definitely your bushy, goofy mustache."

"Hey, this mustache is glorious," Mumbo crossed his arms, but still, he giggled as he couldn't hold it in at all.

Grian chuckled for another moment, before his mind quickly shifted to what Xisuma had mentioned before Mumbo came. He had been meaning to ask more about it, but he either forgot to ask, or never found the right moment. "Hey, Mumbo, I have a question."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"What happened to you after I left?"

"Well, for the first year, I just went back to my usual routine. You know, just trying to blend in and learned as much as I could about redstone. Wasn't easy, I became the kid that became friends with you. Then, the next year and a half, I poured my all into redstone, learned a lot, even started experimenting with it. I met Xisuma at a redstone convention, and he invited me to Hermitcraft, not knowing I was only seventeen. It's not like I had family to tell I was leaving, you were pretty much my only friend." They stopped walking at this point. They found a bench to sit on and rest for a moment.

Grian bowed his head. He felt guilty, though he knew he wasn't the cause of all the strife Mumbo faced after he left. Well, he kind of was, just by existing, and just by being his friend, it caused Mumbo to be a target. "I'm sorry," Grian said.

"For what, mate?"

"For making everything worse."

"What? Who said that? I didn't say that. Why would you say that?"

"Well, I made a lot of people hate you."

"Mate, you did nothing of the sort. I was already the weird one, you know. Everyone hated me already, you were my friend despite that. You made my life better, so why would you apologize for that?”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

“There’s no other way to put it, besides, we always messaged on our communicators, it’s like you never left,” Mambo said. He squeezed Grian’s shoulder. “You saved me from a very lonely life.”

Grian smiled before he stood up again. Across the way was a jewelry store, long since closed now, but there was still the jewelry in the window, which Grian recognized to be quite the dumb idea, but still, he looked through the window. He could see all the expensive and nicely crafted prices of jewelry that had been put on display.

"What are you looking at?"

"I was just curious, but look at that pearl necklace. Isn't that gaudy?" Grian said, laughing.

Mumbo looked to where Grian was pointing and he laughed too. "Bet it costs more than my mustache is worth."

Grian snorted with laughter, before he suddenly stopped, and Mumbo didn't miss the cue. He looked at Grian, knowing that something happened. "Pearl…why does that sound familiar?" Grian looked to Mumbo, hoping he would have an answer, but he just had a dopey look on his face, and Grian knew he didn't have the answer. But suddenly, his mind provided it. "I had a friend named Pearl. Pearl Moon, she's the one I went to after I left the city."

~~~~~~~~~

Her full name was actually Pearlescent Moon, but no one called her that. She was always just Pearl. The first time Grian met her was in the city, and it was happenstance that they met. It was at a bookstore, and they were both looking for a book on building. They talked for a while, before they exchanged numbers and stayed in contact. She, along with Mumbo, helped Grian to escape the city.

It was with Pearl that Grian met a lot of his friends. They were a group of people who traveled around and helped people in need, like a mobile charity. Martyn Littlewood helped with planning, mostly. He was the face of the group. Jimmy Solidarity, Mini Muka, Netty, Big B, Taurtis, Zee, Tom, Salem; they were all friends he made along the way.

Grian learned a lot from them, and he made close friends with each of them. He was especially close to Pearl and Taurtis. Pearl and him had built and designed some amazing things together. They had made a great team, and when one couldn’t think of a solution, the other had the perfect idea. Taurtis, on the other hand, his talents were more limited, but that didn’t make him any less valuable to the group, especially for Grian, who naturally grew close to him. Taurtis could always make him laugh, and they would spend as much time together as they could.

Grian could recall one night when they were staying in an inn on the last night they were in a little town in the south. Grian was laying on the bed on his stomach while he was looking at his communicator.

“I dunno, man, a six by six seamless piston door is amazing, but think of the possibilities, how deep we can go, ten by ten? Fifteen by fifteen? The possibilities are endless, dude!” Mambo’s voice came through the communicator while Grian was lazily typing some things up.

He chuckled as stopped typing. “Isn’t it obvious though? Like, how are you going to hide it and make it look nice?”

“That’s what seamless means, dude.” Mumbo laughed. "Means by design, you can't see the pistons or the redstone."

"Yeah, but it will just be a giant tunnel in the wall, it's super obvious."

"Okay, well, maybe soon enough redstone will be changed again by some new invention and we could put a giant door in a wall like you want," Mumbo said. He was still laughing. "But that's all experimental, you know."

"Yeah, but this is my ideal build."

"We'll figure it out soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, and we’ll make it together. I’ll do all the fun redstoney bits, and you do all the prettification.”

“I could always help you with the redstone.”

There was momentary silence before Mumbo let out a hearty chuckle. “Yeah, no I’m not letting you touch my redstone.”

“Okay, okay fine.” Grian laughed. He stretched out his wings as they had started to cramp, but stretching them out certainly helped. “Hey, so I’ve been doing this thing, it’s called build swap, just a little game, you want to come out sometime and play it?”

Mumbo hummed a bit. “Yeah, sounds fun! Plus, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Cool, we’ll talk about the details later,” Grian said. He heard the door open to his room, and he turned to look at who was there.

“Hey Grian, talking to Mumbo again?” Pearl asked. Taurtis was right behind her too.

“Is that Pearl?” Mumbo asked. “Hi Pearl!”

“Hi Mumbo,” Pearl said as she walked around Grian’s bed to get to the other one. There were plenty of clothes laid out on the bed, and Pearl picked out one from the pile. “Taurtis is here too.”

“What’s up, Mumbo Jumbo?”

“Hey Taurtis.”

“Mumbo, I’m gonna let you go. I’ll call you tomorrow,” Grian said.

“Alright, G-Man, have a good night.”

“You too Mumbo Jumbolio.” Grian hung up the phone and he sat up. “So what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Well, Martyn and Netty are going out for a walk, so we’re gonna–” Taurtis started.

“Ah! Ah, no we are not doing that, Taurtis,” Pearly said quickly. She put her fists on her hips.

“What? What are you thinking?”

“Okay, hear me out, we can go and scare the crap out of them.” Taurtis has a huge, mischievous grin on his face, and Grian was living for that.

“They’re trying to have a date, guys, a real one this time. Let’s just go do something else, okay?” Pearl was practically begging.

“Fine,” Grian said. “Let’s go mess with Jimmy.”

“Oo, yeah let’s do that.”

Pearl sighed. “Alright as long as we don’t mess with Martyn and Netty.” She smiled as she followed Taurtis and Grian out. They were already scheming for their next plans.

It wasn’t much longer after that when the group discovered something–something powerful, yet with the group of them…but the details had been fuzzy.

~~~~~~~~~~

Grian woke up to Mumbo talking quietly on his communicator. Grian couldn't exactly make out what he was saying right away, though he attributed that to not being fully awake yet. Mumbo's words became more and more clear the longer Grian listened.

"Yeah mate, my base is still good, right?" Mumbo asked. After a moment, Mumbo spoke again. "Right, and yeah, he's certainly getting better, just a couple of days ago he was telling me about Pearl, Taurtis and all them." That made Grian sit up and turn to Mumbo, who looked back at him with shock. "Oh, he's awake now."

"What's going on?" Grian asked. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Just talking to X, here, I'm putting you on speaker," Mumbo said. He stood up quickly and started to fumble with his communicator, and the distraction made him trip over some furniture.

"Hello, Grian," Xisuma said.

"Hey, Xisuma," Grian said.

"I was just checking up on Mumbo's base in Hermitcraft, though we're ending the season soon, you know that, right Mumbo?" Xisuma said.

"Right, we've got that meeting with all the Hermits, right?" Mumbo said. He looked to Grian worriedly, but Grian was just confused. It was much too early for him to know exactly what was going on yet.

"Yeah, you can make it back tonight, right?"

"You're leaving?" Grian asked. He squinted at Mumbo, and he could see that it instantly made Mumbo feel guilty.

"After lunch. I'll be back in the morning, I promise," Mumbo said he was speaking quickly. "Or I can call in, and they can have me on speaker."

"No, it's okay, I'll be fine."

"Grian, I promise to not keep him too long, plus, I'll come with him, how's that sound?" Xisuma asked.

Grian smiled. "Sounds fun, I'm excited."

"Brilliant," Mumbo said. "You know you can always call me if you need to."

"I know," Grian said. He smiled at Mumbo before he slid off his bed and he started to make his way into the kitchen so he could make some tea.

"Right, so X, are we just meeting in Hermitcraft?" Mumbo asked.

"Yeah, I'll send you the details soon, alright?"

"Alright, talk to you later."

"Yep, bye Mumbo, bye Grian."

"Bye, Xisuma." Grian hoisted himself up to sit on the counter while he waited for the water to boil.

Mumbo closed his communicator and shoved it into one of his coat pockets. "Season Six is starting soon, and we gotta have a meeting with all of us."

"Yeah, you were talking about that the other day, right?"

Mumbo hummed an affirmative. He walked over to the kitchen too, and he used his superior height to get down some mugs for the two of them. "I hope you'll be okay, I'm gonna have to go and you know…the start of new seasons are always so hectic and I…"

"I'll be just fine, Mumbo. I'll figure something out. We'll talk on our communicators every day, like we used to," Grian said.

Mumbo nodded. "Of course. Every day." He watched as Grian reached over and picked up the screaming tea pot, and he started to make tea for the both of them.

Mumbo left just after lunch, and while at first, Grian didn't really mind being alone, it quickly got old and Grian got bored. So, so he took to looking through some of Xisuma's things, and he noticed that Xisuma had a couple of instruments, a guitar was the most impressive thing. Grian didn't want to break it, so he left it alone.

Still, Grian could imagine himself being compared to a raccoon with how much he was looking though, and when he realized that it could be seen as creepy, he stopped. He would just have to come up with his own entertainment. He sat down on the bed, and he got to work at preening his wings, making sure there were no ugly feathers.

When he finished, he knelt down on the floor and started picking up his discarded feathers from the floor, and while he was down there, he noticed a box. He set the feathers aside so he could look at what was in the box. He opened it, and inside was the familiar mask and robes. He picked it up. It has been a mystery to him for so long. The symbol was so unfamiliar, but now he knew exactly what it was.

~~~~~~~~~~

Evolution was a project that Grian headed. With the power of magic that all his friends had to help with, they created their own world, with its own rules and concepts. Things would slowly get added to their world. The world would change alongside them as they went. If anything, it was an experiment, and it was all made possible by a group of figures that called themselves the Watchers.

That's where the symbol came from. Regardless, they were harmless. They provided the Evolutionists with materials and gifts and helped them to do their little experiment, but they mostly stayed to the sidelines, and did as their name promised; they watched.

Everything felt so much freer in Evo (as everyone took to calling their world). Grian felt free from the scorn of normal life. His wings basically didn't matter, because anyone he would run into were already his friends, so he was happily able to commit hijinks, like the alter to Taurtis, since he was so hesitant to join Evo at first, but when he did, Grian was more than happy to prank him and recruit him into pranks as well.

Not to mention, Grian was free to build how and what he wanted, no restrictions from people, just whatever Grian's mind could come up with, he could build, and he would often spend his days fantasizing about more things he could build. There were so many memories of days just being normal, and days where Grian could let them blend together, because for the first time in his life, he felt truly free, and truly happy, all while still able to talk to Mumbo nearly everyday and keep him updated on his life, even while Mumbo was busy with Hermitcraft, and Grian was busy with Evo.

Then one day, they had access to the end. They all had read about it, they all knew about it, though not many of them knew exactly what the end was like. They knew there would be a dragon, and they would have to kill it. They knew that they would need armor, arrows, food, water, weapons, and some medical supplies just in case.

They gathered outside of the portal, deep in the stronghold. Well, it wasn’t everyone, Grian traveled there with Martyn, Netty, Zee, Jimmy, Pearl, Salem, and Big B. They were ready to go, gathered around in a circle. Grian was excited, they had been looking for so long, and now they were finally ready to go in and they could work together to fight the dragon. Yet, Grian felt something was off. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but something wasn’t right. Still, he shook it off, and he got ready to jump through, with a confident, “see you on the other side”.

The moment Grian jumped through the portal, he felt wrong, he felt like he was going to throw up, and he felt utterly confused. He couldn’t breathe at first, and then suddenly he found himself being thrown on the ground in a dark and cold place. When his eyes adjusted, he realized that not only was he alone, but he also had a dragon roaring above him.He took a moment to breathe and calm himself down, but then he got to it. He loaded his bow, and he started shooting, and he fought.

It was a hard fight indeed, and Grian had to put his all into it, but he completed the fight, the dragon was dead and the new portal appeared to take Grain home. He was completely exhausted, he could barely pick himself up, but he was excited to see his friends again, at least he hoped he could see his friends again. He picked himself up, and he brushed his hair back from his face and he stepped through the portal again.

This time, he felt like he was dreaming, but he felt he was paralyzed and awake. He felt choked, he couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t see. He had no idea how long he was there, or if he was even alive, until a light filled his eyes, forcing him to close them. When he grew used to it again, he opened his eyes again, and he was surrounded by what he now realized was a dim, ashen purple light and a gray smoke. Grian squinted as he saw two figures. They had wings, like him, and they wore long robes and they wore masks.

“Hello?” Grian called out, but the figures didn’t move. “Excuse me, but can you tell me where I am?”

“Do you hear that?” a voice said. At first, Grian could have sworn it came from behind him, but at the same time, it sounded like it was in front of him, all around him.

“Yes, I did,” another voice said. “Oh, look, he’s awake.”

“Grian, little one, you’re very strong, aren’t you?”

“Um, please, who are you?” Grian asked.

“Don’t you recognize us?”

“We’re the Watchers.”

“Oh…” Grian tried to get a better look at them, but he just couldn’t quite make them out. “So you two have been helping us this whole time?”

“Sure, if that’s how you want to put it.”

“We mostly wanted to watch.”

“And we’ve been watching you.”

“Watching you very closely, Grian.”

“Why me?” Grian asked.

“Because you’re interesting.”

“And capable.”

“We want you to join us.”

“We’ll give you power.”

“All you have to do is join us.”

“What do you say?”

Grian looked between them. “I don’t know.”

“It has to be one of you.”

“As payment for our kindness.”

“And we would prefer to have you.”

“We like you.”

Grian chewed on his lip for a moment. He knew he was in a hopeless situation.

“Hurry up now, Grian, you’ve got to make a choice.”

“You wouldn’t want to keep your friends waiting.”

“Okay, I agree.” Grian said quickly. The light brightened just a bit, and the two figures turned.

“Glad you are doing what’s right.”

“We need to address the Evolutionists, now.”

Grian coughed as he became surrounded in more mist. He could hear his friends now as they too woke up. He didn’t even try to talk to them. The watchers were talking to them. Grian could only watch, and listen, and prepare.

Then they started saying his name, and he started to pay attention again. He could hear the Watchers announcing their plans to take Grian with them, and he could hear the shocked murmurs of his friends. He wondered what was going to happen.

“Maybe we should take him now?”

“Let’s wait until the end.”

“Alright. Evolutionists, it is time for you to move on to the next chapter.”

“Yes, best of luck to all of you. And remember…”

“We will always be watching.”

“While we may not be the best of listeners, we certainly do enjoy everything you do.

“Be wary of things to come, and enjoy your time together.”

“Grian, I think it is time for you to come with us now.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

They both turned to Grian, and the smoke cleared, and Grian was frozen. He knew what would be coming wouldn’t be good. He stared between the two of them, and although they made space for Grian, they weren’t turned to him, and Grian couldn’t move. The Watchers turned to Grian, and Grian felt a knot in his stomach. He walked forward, standing between them now. He felt his wings extend, not that he wanted to.

“It would be my pleasure,” Grian said. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and he forced himself to continue to speak. “Good luck everyone, I am sad that this is my fate…But I want you to remember my heart will be with you all, and I will still be there in your hearts and in spirit…Good luck in the next chapter of Evolution. I look forward to watching you all.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Grian knew that he had finally remembered enough. He was aware that there was some stuff that was still fuzzy in his mind, but he knew enough to know that he was back to normal. He sipped on his tea and checked his communicator again. While he understood the delay for Mumbo and Xisuma’s return, it still was agonizing. He was tired of being stuck in his own silence. He just wanted to not think about all the things he had just remembered. He may not have remembered everything, but the last bits that were missing in his head were trickling in, and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to remember it all anymore.

He would occasionally get glimpses of pain, and horror, and he knew that during his time with the Watchers…well anyone could put two and two together and know what happened. Grian shook it out of his head as his communicator pinged.

“Almost there.” It was a message from Mumbo. Grian squealed in happiness. He jumped up so he could look through the window, and in fact, he could see Mumbo and Xisuma approaching the building, meaning it would be only a few moments before they would be at the apartment, and Grian prepared himself. He was standing in the middle of the apartment when it opened, and very quickly, Grian ran up and jumped on whoever was first, and it was Mumbo. He clung to him.

“Woah, hey there, Grian!” Mumbo laughed.

Xisuma was laughing too as Grian was slowly sliding down Mumbo. “Good to see you, Grian.”

“How was the end of the season?” Grain asked.

“Went well! And we’re all ready to start the next season soon, too.” Mumbo started.

“Sorry it took us so long to get back, but it took us a bit longer than expected,” Xisuma said.

“It’s alright.” Grian turned to Xisuma. “I remembered the last thing.”

“Oh yeah? You remember how you got to where I found you?”

“Well, not exactly, but I was with the Watchers.”

Xisuma’s eyes widened. He cleared his throat before he took off his helmet. “Oh.”

“It’s okay, it’s over now, thanks to you.”

“Who are the Watchers?” Mumbo asked.

“Uh, they live in an area in the End dimension. But I’m glad for you, Grian.”

“Yeah, me too,” Mumbo said. He elbowed Grian in the side playfully. “And now we can hang out before the next season starts.”

“Yeah! I already have some plans, I’ve been thinking about this for a while.” Grian giggled with delight as he was thinking back on all his plans.

“Of course, but let’s have some tea first, yeah?” Xisuma said as he set down his bag and walked into the kitchen. “Besides, Grian, we’ve got something to tell you.”

“Oh?” Grian straightened his back. “What is it?”

“Let’s get the tea first,” Xisuma said.

Grian deeply frowned, and he crossed his arms. Mumbo looked over Grian for a moment before he chuckled.

“X, we’d better tell Grian now, he’s looking real pouty,” Mumbo said.

“Hey! I’m not pouty!”

Xisuma looked over his shoulder before he laughed. “You’re right.” He picked up the screaming tea pot and he poured it into the three mugs he had set out. “Right, now come on, let’s sit down for a minute.”

Grian and Mumbo sat down as Xisuma set down a mug in front of each of them. “Thanks, X,” Grian said.

“No problem at all,” Xisuma responded. He spooned a scoop of sugar into his tea.

“Okay, what’s the news?” Grian asked. It looked like he was hardly able to sit still in his chair. He was tapping his fingers on the side of his mug.

“Well, all of us Hermits were talking.”

“Yeah?”

“And we all agree…”

“Yeah?” Grian sat forward even more.

“We all think that you would be a great fit for Hermitcraft. Of course, if you wanted to join, that is. We’d be so happy to have you with us.” Xisuma smiled as he took a sip of his tea right before he took a puff from his inhaler.

Grian froze with a giant smile on his face. “Really? Is this real?”

“Yeah, dude.” Mumbo nudged Grian a bit.

“Oh my goodness. Yeah! I would love that!” Grian jumped up, nearly knocking the chair down, and he would have if Mumbo hadn’t caught it. “When do we go?”

“The new season starts in a few days," Xisuma said. "We're all excited to have you."

"Yeah, and once we get some elytras, maybe we could get you in the sky, get those wings working," Mumbo said. Grian looked at his wings. He gave them a little flap, and he smiled, laughing even.

"I can't wait to make all these new memories." Grian sat back down, and he couldn't shake the wide smile across his face. The thought of being in a new community, one that was with his best friend, and the chance to make so many new friends was nothing short of exhilarating. Of course, he thought about all his friends back in Evo, but he also knew that they were going to be alright. Besides, he made sure of that. Now was his chance to start anew, be a new person, and head onwards as a Hermit.