Grian slowly woke up, groaning. It felt as if his entire body was on fire. He kept his eyes shut. After a few minutes, there was the creak of a door, and he heard approaching footsteps.

"Xisuma, what's the big deal with the wings? They're prob'ly just cleverly disguised elytra, like yours."

It was Iskall speaking, his voice annoyed.

Xisuma's response was soft, contrasting his friend's frustrated tone.

"Iskall, I know this will be hard to understand, but those are real wings, and they are not a good sign. I- Grian had a life before this server. Now, the events of his past are beginning to catch up to him. We need to keep him here, or else they will make history repeat itself."

"Who are 'they'? Xisuma, what happened?"

"That's a story for another time. We need to keep him isolated for his own safety. And... we need a way to contain him if... if things go wrong."

He heard Iskall sigh.

"Alright Xisuma. I trust you."

Soon after, Grian heard Iskall's footsteps slowly fade away. However, Xisuma had not left the room. A nearby wooden stair creaked as the strider man sat, letting out a breath.

"I'm so sorry about this... I thought they couldn't find you here. Why did you take that mask... now I'll have to... move you to a safer place. It will keep you safe from them... And the rest of us safe from... from you..."

As the red-suited man's footsteps left the room, the door clicked closed. What Grian just heard echoed through his brain.

...it will keep the rest of us safe...

...from you...

He shifted a bit, but stopped, the slight movement causing one of his wings to throb angrily.

Wait. My wings.

They know about my wings.

Grian quietly sat up. His whole body ached, sores and bruises from the fight still stinging. He tried to stand, but he had to sit back down, his head momentarily throbbing. He tried again and was able to look about. His ankle was sore, and wrapped in bandages.

I must have twisted it when I collapsed.

He was situated in a small room made of stone. Barren except for a torch, sputtering on the wall.

It's quite dismal in here...

There were bandages wrapped around his otherwise bare torso and, as he tried to stretch, he realised why his right wing hurt. More bandages were wrapped around it, and a splint held it straight.

He made his way to the door, using the rough and dusty walls for support. He took the handle and gently turned it, being as quiet as possible. He stepped into the narrow hallway, spotted with a few doors. Grian peeked into a few curiously.

One had a map, with small, inked-in banners. One was labelled the crater, and the others were labelled with the structures Grian had built. Fresh ink formed another banner, by what used to be the stairs of his mansion. The map had been updated, and Grian was shocked to see a charred crater with the stony steps all but gone and the foundation nearly crumbling. He would have to fix that as soon as he got back.

Moving on, he peered into another room, it was very similar to his base. Papers covered the floor, but on a desk in the middle, a bloodstained feather sat, along with a charred stone, from his mansion, he presumed.

He went past a few, before one opened before him.

"Oh!" Exclaimed Iskall, almost running into Grian, "You're awake! Hey Xisuma, he's awake!"

Pounding footsteps could be heard a ways down the hall, and Iskall gave him a soft hug, "Glad you're ok."

Xisuma approached from a little ways down the hallway, looking slightly out of sorts. His armour was now an odd purpley colour, and rows of white feelers poked out of his helmet.

"Grian!" he exclaimed with a smile. The admin was much taller than the other two men, his head nearly touching the ceiling.

"Uh... so... I guess you guys know now..." Giran awkwardly gestured to his wings.

To Grian's surprise, Impulse laughed.

"They look pretty convincing, not gonna lie! How'd you get so many feathers though?"

"Wh-what?" Grian stuttered, confusedly.

Xisuma glared at Iskall.

"I already told you, they're not fake. I had to bandage one of them."

Grian inspected his wings and sure enough, the one on his left was tightly bound in white bandages.

The secret was already out, there was not much point in trying to conceal it.

"Iskall... Xisuma's right..."

Grian spread out his uninjured wing and flapped it a few times. His lavender plumage glinted slightly in the torchlight.

"What?! How? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell us?" Iskall began to ask more, but Xisuma put a hand on his shoulder, and the Swede fell silent.

Xisuma grasped both of Grian's shoulders, and though Grian couldn't see his eyes through the tinted helmet's visor, he could feel Xisuma's eyes boring into him.

"Grian, I have a very important question for you. Please, answer it truthfully. For all our sakes."

What Xisuma had said earlier flashed through Grian's mind once more.

We... we need a way to contain him... if things go wrong.

"Did you take the object from the crater?"

The bird-man froze.

Be honest, and risk imprisonment.

Or lie and face unknown consequences.

The way Grian had heard Xisuma talking, Xisuma was convinced that Grian had taken the mask. It also seemed as if he regarded the waffle-haired wonder as a threat. As an intruder.

Grian frowned. He wasn't hurting anyone.

Only a game!

Laughed his mind.

It's just a fun little game!

He wasn't going to lie, he was just going to... distort the truth a bit. That's all.

"How would I get that thing, Xisuma? You saw what happened to Keralis."

Xisuma let out a breath he had been holding.

"Oh thank god." he sighed, "I was worried that you were the one who... The one who hurt Mumbo. And Bdubs. That thing... it could be our world's undoing."

Iskall's face was now pale.

"If it's that dangerous, then... who has it now?"

"I... I don't know..." said Xisuma, his voice quivering slightly. He shook his head slightly and regained his composition.

"We need to find whoever has the mask before they can cause any more harm. I'm going to arrange another meeting, this time, everyone has to arrive. Iskall, nevermind about not telling-"
He cut himself off, flicking his eyes towards Grian for just an instant.

"Nevermind what I said earlier. Let's go see if Mumbo's awake yet."

Both men nodded and followed Xisuma down the stony hallway.

~ ⬩ ⍑╎ᓭ ⬩ ~

Scar was seated on a stone bench and Mumbo lay on a bed, his usually neat hair dishevelled. He had several scratches and cuts all over his face and bandages wound their way around his midsection and arm. He breathed softly, his moustache fluttering slightly with each feeble breath.

The potions hadn't worked, and Scar was concerned.

I hope that these attacks won't continue.

He shifted on the cold stone steps, readjusting his position. Scar looked back over at his friend. His forehead was now beaded with sweat, and he had begun to shiver. Scar got up and pulled a blanket over the moustached man. The shaking stopped, and Mumbo resumed slumbering peacefully.

He hadn't woken, and his fever hadn't let up the past few days. Scar, along with any hermits that were online and able, had rushed over to Iskall's tree. Mumbo had been in a much worse state then. His suit was torn and burned, and his moustache singed. His skin had been waxy, and he was covered in numerous cuts and bruises. His hearts were hardly affected by the wounds.

The same kind of injury as Keralis…

Keralis had only recently regained full use of his arm and, as Scar pondered the many injuries that had been inflicted on his friend. He frowned. Hopefully, Mumbo would recover from his ordeal. Iskall and Xisuma had found him alone, after following the trail he left from Grian's base. However, after conducting a full search of the wreckage, they found no sign of the mischievous man himself.

Grian was still missing. It had been three days, and no one knew where he was.

Mumbo survived, but... what if Grian didn't...

For about the millionth time, Scar glanced at his communicator, looking for any sign that his jungle friend was okay.

No new messages…

Scar jumped as the door clicked open to his right. Iskall poked his head into the room, checking up on Mumbo. This time, something seemed different about him. Xisuma walked in, smiling.
Scar frowned.

Why were they smiling?

Then he spotted a very familiar red-shirted man, following the others into the room. Scar sprung out of his seat and gave Grian a tight hug. Grian gasped softly and Scar let go, realising that his buddy's torso was wrapped in bandages.

"Sorry! Oh my goodness what happened to you and-"

Grian stepped into the room a bit more, and as he emerged from the shadows of the hallway, Scar's eyes grew wide.

"Giran... you- you seem to have wings..."

Grian seemed amused with his reaction.

"Oh, I just bought them in the shopping district." He joked merrily.

"Oh stop messing with me. But really, where did those come from?"

Grian's smile faltered for a moment, revealing fear and... guilt? But in the blink of an eye, Grian's smile was back.

"I don't know, actually," he chuckled, "They just kinda appeared one day."

"Huh… odd."

"But they're really fun! It feels so much better than flying with an elytra."

Scar reached out, "May I?"

Grian nodded and spread a wing for Scar to inspect.

He let out a breath of awe, his eyes widening.

The wings were glittering silver, purple, and white. Small black feathers poking out here and there. It looked like if you reversed a starry sky, black pinpricks of darkness speaking the bright canvas of feathers.

Scar got a face full of feathers as Grian suddenly stepped forward. He extricated himself from the feathery fluff and turned to see what had distracted him.

Grian was standing by Mumbo's bed. The moustached man was not doing much better, and his breathing still came in short puffs. Grian reached down, grabbed Mumbo's hand, and Scar noticed that his hands were shaking.

Xisuma grabbed Scar's shoulder and spoke softly.

"The truth is, we found Grian with Mumbo."

Star turned angrily and whispered back.

"Then why didn't you tell me he was okay? I was worried! What if he-"

"Scar, Grian... he's got more baggage than you would think. He... doesn't remember it, but when he came here, he was... dangerous. I was afraid that..."

Scar's eyes widened as he realised what Xisuma was suggesting.

"Grian would never! He's our friend!"

Iskall quietly backed out of the room with a wary look on his face. He clearly wanted no part in this conversation.

"I know, I know," Xisuma held up his hands, "I know that now, but there was still a chance, and we had to keep him contained, just in case. It's resolved now, we know he's not a threat."

Scar sighed, giving up his anger. It would get him nowhere, "You still should have told me."

Xisuma sighed, "You're right."

Scar turned back to look at Grian.

"So where'd you find him?"

Xisuma told the whole story. How they had followed the blast, how Grian's base was collapsed and charred, and how they had found Grian, staggering through the jungle with Mumbo in his arms.
"...so I carried Mumbo, and Iskall carried Grian, and we walked all the way back here."

Scar sat down, dumbfounded.

"So what now?"

"I've got this under control. In the meantime, you should help Iskall arrange a serverwide meeting. That means everyone. I think I know who's behind this."

"Who?"

Before Xisuma could answer him, Grian let out an exclamation of joy.

Mumbo was trying to sit up, coughing slightly.

"He's awake!"