Mumbo laughed aloud, joining his friend in jubilation.

Grian was soaring high above, so high he looked no bigger than a sparrow. Suddenly, Mumbo watched his wings fold in, and Grian plummeted towards the ground. His laughter was wild and free, echoing through the sunlit skies.

Ever since Grian had told Mumbo about his wings, the playful hermit had seemed lighter, having gotten a weight off of his chest.

Mumbo had been brighter too, and the server had moved into a sense of peace. Grian truly had a big influence over everyone on the server.

Mumbo remembered a time before Grian, in the fifth season. His smile faded for a moment. It had been a bad season, especially towards the end, with a few hermits becoming almost permanently offline. After that, hermits rarely saw each other at all, so Xisuma decided it was time to start anew.

And then came Grian.

They didn't know where he came from, he was just there, standing next to Xisuma when they all arrived in the new world. Only Xisuma knew where the new hermit had come from, because Grian himself didn't seem to remember anything. Maybe he had just appeared, someone who had come into the world along with the coming of the sixth season. Who knows.

Once, Mumbo had tried to get an answer out of Xisuma, but the devious admin had dodged the question.

From the very first moment, Grian filled the server with life. His wacky shenanigans and crazy pranks brought the hermits together like never before. Sure, the past worlds were fun, but Grian...

He made the server exciting.

A gust of strong wind almost knocked the Redstoner over as Grian alighted on the ground, chuckling breathlessly.

Mumbo approached his friend as he landed, fixing his dishevelled hair as he did.

"Those are some magnificent wings you've got there. Looks more fun than an elytra, anyway."

Grian turned to him with wide, twinkling eyes, "Much more!"

"Wait..." Mumbo stepped closer to the birdman, reaching out for his wing. Grian winced back, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

"Sorry, did I-"

"No, no! Go ahead. I'm just... not used to having them out in the open like this..." Grian assured him.

Mumbo reached out a second time and gently spread the feathers, inspecting them. They were breathtaking.

"Do you reckon..."

Grian looked at him, returning the moustached man's mischievous look.

Mumbo released the wing, "Do you reckon you could lift me?"

~ ⬩ ᔑ╎∷ ⬩ ~

It was a bad idea.

Mumbo sat, dazed, his once-pristine suit now smudged with dirt. Both he and Grian were now gnawing sadly on golden carrots, lounging on the dusty ground.

So now we know: never try that again...

In hindsight, it was a bad idea to jump off the cliff. They should have tried to take off from the ground first.

Oh well...

Mumbo sighed. He and Grian had spent all day messing about, testing the capabilities of his wings.

Grian also seemed to have no idea about where the wings came from or who the stranger on the server was, but there was something he was still hiding. Mumbo wasn't going to push, however.

Grian will tell me when he's ready.

After recovering some hearts, they stood up again.

"Well, what next?" inquired Grian, excited.

Mumbo grinned, strapping on his elytra, "RACE YOU TO THE MANSION!" he called, soaring off into the sky.

"HEY-" Grian called, giving chase.

West they flew, across the arid mesa, as the silvery moon began to rise.

The dry, hot air of the badlands was soon replaced with moisture as they dove into the jungle. Showing off, Mumbo began to zigzag between the trees, Grian in hot pursuit. He hit some vines, and Grian roared past him, taking the lead.

Mumbo disentangled himself, and fired off several rockets, going even faster. Grian suddenly darted to the left. Mumbo slowed and realised that Stress' base was just up ahead. He took the opportunity to re-enter first place, letting Grian make his way around the base instead. Stress was just emerging from one of the doorways, her dark hair decorated with rows of colourful flowers. Mumbo waved cheerily as he rocketed past her.

The trees suddenly came to an end. He could see the mansion, just up ahead!

I can make it!

He fired off rockets at breakneck speeds, flying towards the entrance.

And then he smacked into a wall.

Dazed, he spiralled towards the ground. A sigh escaped him as he noted that Grian had already arrived. The cheery fellow was already jogging over to make sure he was okay. Downing some food, Mumbo sat up, looking for what he had hit.

Ah.

The great hall that had once lay open was now barred with a large wooden door. Mumbo looked up at Grian and mumbled, "When did you get a door installed?"

The bird-man chuckled, responding to him with a grin.

"Sorry 'bout that... forgot I put those in."

As Mumbo shakily got to his feet, Grian shoved the massive doors open and gestured for Mumbo to go on through. Now, he could see why his buddy had put in the doors. Small silvery feathers carpeted the place. Piles of plumage were stacked in a few corners, evidence of many unsuccessful attempts to tidy up the place. There were also pieces of paper here and there, which Grian quickly shuffled into shulkers.

He cleared the feathers from a few chests and sat down with a sigh of relief.

The feathers were slippery under his shoes as Mumbo made his way over to Grian and sat.

Framed by the gigantic door frame, the moon shone out of the sky, full and bright. They sat on the chests, wondering at its beauty. A small fog moved over the land, coating everything in a thin layer of dew.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Mumbo remarked.

"Yeah..." His friend responded.

Mumbo looked at his friend. The moonlight lit up his face, making it seem to glow, and the bright pinpricks in the sky were reflected in the man's bright purple eyes.

"Wait, Grian, were your eyes always purple?"

Grian jumped, startled by the sound of his friend's voice.

"Oh... yeah that happened... I noticed them around the same time I got the wings."

"Maybe we should tell Xisuma about all this, run some experiments, figure out-"

"No! No... Don't tell anyone. Please..."

"Okay, okay, it was just an idea."

The friends sat in silence for a moment.

"So do you know anything about the stranger on the server?"

Grian tensed.

He knows something, all right.

"N-no. No, other than selling potions."

"Oh?"

"Y-yeah, I kept getting these mysterious letters asking me for invisibility potions. I don't know who left them though."

What are you hiding from me, Grian?

Mumbo shook himself. He was probably just paranoid. He could trust Grian to tell him whenever he was ready. It could wait.

"Uh...Mumbo," Said Grian, interrupting his thoughts, "Who is that?"

A figure was fast approaching them. It grew larger and larger, its dark frame silhouetted against the moon. It landed in the doorway, a faint and eerie purple glow emanating from it.
An odd elytra was strapped to its shoulders, inky black instead of the usual grey.

Mumbo stood, as did Grian, and they took a few steps back. He glanced at Grian, and found that his friend's face had gone deathly pale. The figure was tall, too tall, and its body seemed out of proportion. mumbo squinted against the moonlight, trying to focus on the figure instead.

As it came closer, clouds moved over the moon, removing the shadows that had enshrouded the mysterious personage.

With a start, Mumbo realised that no, there wasn't an elytra on its back.

There were a pair of wings.

...

S̵͕̬͒o̶͙̩͂m̷͈̞͝ẽ̴͇ţ̶̞̏̈́h̸̗̑͘i̷̬̱̋͊ṇ̵̬̈ğ̷͈̟͒ has joined the game. (And it wants you to leave a vote!)

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