The first thing I saw was a blinding flash of light. The inner glow of the jewels that I hadn't realized was there faded.

Lava gushed from a tube at the top of the room, covering the anvil and the rest of the room. It was a good thing we had fire resistance, or even FWhip would have died from the heat. FWhip pulled the lever again, and the molten rock drained away into unseen lava plumbing. When it did, the crown was gone.

"Was that really necessary?" I sputtered.

"The enchantment removal?" FWhip said. "Yes. The lava? No."

"FWHIP!"

He grinned. "We could have just thrown it into a lava lake somewhere. But this is more dramatic."

I threw my hands up into the air and walked out of the forge.

FWhip followed me, grinning like he had just won the lottery. "But you have to admit that was cool."

I didn't answer. It had been kind of awesome.

"Ha! I knew it! You thought it was cool!"

"Don't get your hopes up," I said, smiling.

All of the urges about stealing the crown and using it were gone with their subject. It was nice to be in control again.

We flew back to the Overgrown, trying to ignore the fact that the Crystal Cliffs looked like a tree monster had come in and taken over Gem's position as head wizard, and landed back in front of the greenhouse.

Inside, Gem and Katherine were just putting a little bit of glowing green liquid into a vial.

"It's done," FWhip said.

"With extra unnecessary dramatic effect," I grumbled.

"But it was awesome!" FWhip said.

"If you can call covering an entire room in lava awesome, then yes, it was," I said.

Gem and Katherine decided not to ask. Probably a wise decision.

I eyed the vial in Gem's hand. "Is that the antidote? Is it ready?"

She nodded and gulped down the potion.

"It tastes like fertilizer," Gem gagged.

"How do you know what fertilizer tastes like?" I laughed. Gem turned bright red and mumbled something about accidentally swallowing some bonemeal when we were little.

"It's working!" Katherine squealed.

She was right, or at least, I hoped she was. The green streak in Gem's hair was turning back to its natural ginger.

"Hopefully this tames the plants a little," Katherine said.

FWhip cleared his throat. "Speaking of which... have you seen the Crystal Cliffs? And Rivendell?"

Gem nodded gravely. "I'll have some cleaning up to do. The villagers at both places probably won't be very happy with me."

"FWhip's still not cured," I said. "I mean, I'm glad this works, but we really need to find Scott."

"We can do the same thing for you that we did for Gem," Katherine said. "We know it works now. It's just a two-step process."

FWhip backed away, shaking his head. "I'd rather not."

Katherine looked a little hurt.

"It's just that I don't want to cover everywhere I go in plants," FWhip added quickly.

Katherine frowned. "What's wrong with plants?"

Of course. She was a fairy. Her job, her entire life, was gardening and making the world more beautiful through plants.

"Just that they don't fit the aesthetic of the Grimlands," FWhip said, laughing nervously.

"I doubt they'd have the same effect on you," I said. "Gem's a wizard."

"And I'm just a human, I know," FWhip grumbled.

"That's not what I meant. You know that's not what I meant."

FWhip leaned against the glass wall of the greenhouse. "I'm not doing it. I'll find another way. I'll use Admin permissions or something."

Why is he so stubborn?

"Admin permissions don't let you cure magical diseases," Gem said, folding her arms.

"We don't know what this is," FWhip countered. "There could be a cure in Admin magic."

"Ask Xisuma," Gem suggested. "He's been an Admin a lot longer than you have."

"Fine," FWhip said, and flew away without another word.

"What's with the mood swing?" Katherine said. "Five minutes ago he was almost bouncing off the walls."

"He confuses me as much as he does you," I assured her.

Gem cracked a smile. "I'm going to the Crystal Cliffs," she said. "I need to see what's been going on."

"Oh, I forgot to remind FWhip that Grian came to pick up Xisuma and Bigb, and Jimmy too," I realized.

"Is he still here?" Gem asked.

I shrugged. "You're the wizard."

"When did he come, anyway?"

"Earlier today," I said. "Literally barged into a negotiation with Joel, asked for directions, ran into a window, and then flew away."

"Who's Grian?" Katherine asked.

"One of my friends from Third Life," I said.

"The other guy who was missing," Gem explained.

"Oh," Katherine said, still looking a little confused. "Wait, when did you come back?"

I laughed bitterly. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Okay." Katherine sounded a little disappointed.

I pushed images of claustrophobic tunnels, destroyed Hermitcraft, and dead Bdubs out of my head.

"Blue, have you been to Gateway?" Gem asked.

"...Yes?" I said, a little confused. "Why?"

Gem pulled out a familiar amethyst crystal. "We can go now. Maybe one of the Evolutioners can find a cure for FWhip."

I raised my eyebrows. "Sure. But let's find Grian first. I need to see if he's found Bigb or Xisuma yet."

Gem nodded.

He wasn't hooked up to our communicators. So we had to do this the old-fashioned way.

We said goodbye to Katherine, who was still visibly confused, and followed FWhip to the Crystal Cliffs.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Gem said.

"Why should I have?" I countered. "I don't like talking about it. I don't want to talk about it. I don't like remembering it." I shuddered, which veered me off course. I glided back next to Gem.

"Then why are you just going right back to where the people you were with are? They'll just remind you of what happened."

"They'll make me feel better," I said, hoping it was true.

We were both quiet the rest of the way to the Crystal Cliffs.

When we arrived, Gem let out a gasp. "What did I do?"

I shrugged. "You know more about magic than I do."

Gem landed in the moss-covered town square. "I hope Xisuma and Bigb are okay," she said.

"If Grian's found them, then they won't be here," I reminded her.

We walked into the tavern, said hi to the former pillager who was now a bartender, and headed upstairs to the bedrooms. Gem knocked on one of the doors. "This is where Bigb is staying," she explained.

Bigb opened the door. "Oh. Hi."

Gem smiled. "We need to talk to you and Xisuma," she said.

Bigb nodded and followed us out the door, shooting a quick glare in my general direction.

"It was a Boogey kill," I said, reading his expression. "I wasn't myself."

Gem glanced at us before continuing to the next and final room. When she knocked, there was a sound like rushing around, followed by a thunk, followed by the former Admin answering the door. He still had his helmet on. Why did he still have his helmet on?

"Hi," he panted.

"The Grand Crown is destroyed," I said. "Grian's here to take you to Gateway, except I think he took a wrong turn if he's not here yet."

"Or he was looking for amethyst and only saw green," Gem said. "Sorry about the plants. Magic can get out of control sometimes."

Xisuma nodded. Bigb gave a small smile.

"Can we come in?" Gem asked. "We need to talk."

Xisuma nodded again and let the three of us in. "Sure."

The room was exactly as Gem had built it: a purple bed against the wall, a small desk, a lamp, and a wardrobe. The only differences were a backpack and an electric guitar leaning against the wall. Xisuma sat on the bed. Gem took the chair. Bigb and I were left standing awkwardly against the wall.

"So..." Bigb said impatiently.

"As we said, Grian's here," Gem said. "He's going to take you to Gateway, where the other Hermits and Evolutioners are."

"All of them?" they said in unison

"The Evolutioners, yes, or the ones who weren't in Last Life," I said. "Pearl's there too. The only ones who have never been to Gateway are you and Jimmy."

"And Martyn," Bigb said sadly, with a hint of anger. "Goodness knows or cares where that traitor is."

"Yeah, of course," I said quickly, shooting a warning glance at Gem. She frowned but didn't say anything.

"You said the Grand Crown was destroyed," Bigb said. "What about the Red Crown?"

I wheeled on Gem. "It's still here?" I growled.

She hesitated before nodding.

I took a deep breath. "Before we go to Gateway, let's take it to the Grimlands Forge and unenchant it."

"I don't know why I didn't think of that," Gem said.

I freely admit that I overlooked that

The sound of elytra rockets sounded outside of the window. Xisuma reached over to pull back the curtains. "Gem, did you teach your pillagers to fly?"

Gem laughed. "No. That would be terrifying if they found my crossbows."

There was nobody outside the window. "Ooooh, creepy," Bigb said.

"Xisuma, has FWhip already come by?" I asked.

"You can call me X," he said. "And yes. He wanted to know if Admin abilities would let us cure some ice disease that he had. They can't."

"He's only been Admin for a few months," Gem said.

Xisuma nodded knowingly. "I could tell." His voice held a hint of amusement.

Another knock came at the door.

"It's like a horror movie!" Bigb gasped. "First the rockets, now this! Don't answer it!"

"I've dealt with Xornoth in my empire and the Watchers in Last Life," I growled, getting up to open the door. "I'm not scared of some crazy perosn with an axe. I've dealt with several of those."

Bigb laughed nervously. One of those crazy people with an axe had been his ally.

Thankfully, the person at the door was not a crazy person with an axe. It was Grian, with Jimmy close behind.

"I thought this was the Crystal Cliffs, but I couldn't be sure!" Grian said, pumping his fist. "I thought of amethyst, not flowers, but I guess that works too."

"He needed my help," Jimmy said, grinning.

"Oh, yeah, the Cod Empire was easy to find," Grian said. "All I needed to do was look for something that was built badly."

"Hey!" Jimmy said.

"He's getting better, though," I said, standing aside to let them in.

"Then we went back to Mezalea, that one place where I first came in," Grian continued with a mischevious grin. "Joel is going to have a lot of fun in his obsidian box."

"You put Joel in obsidian?" I laughed.

"Lizzie helped."

Bigb pointed at Grian. "You... you... uh, wings..."

Grian glared around, at Bigb, then Jimmy, then me. "Don't," he warned.

"Don't what?" Gem asked curiously, eyeing the rune floating above Grian's head.

Xisuma stared at it as well. Or at least that's what I thought he was looking at. "Everyone's got secrets," he thought out loud. "Why are there so many secrets?"

"Because sometimes people are scared of what their friends would think of them," Gem said.

"Tell that to FWhip," I grumbled.

Grian paled and gripped the doorframe. "You better not have told him."

I shook my head. "Almost. But I didn't."

The Watcher sighed with relief.

Gem looked frustrated. Xisuma had his arms crossed.

"I'm here to get Xisuma and Bigb to Gateway," Grian said loudly. "That is, unless you don't want to come."

The Evolutioner and the Hermit nodded eagerly.

"Brace yourself," I warned.

Then Grian, Jimmy, Bigb, and Xisuma were gone in a flash of light.

I looked at Gem. "What now?"

She looked at me. "Now, you spill the beans. What are you not telling me?" She crossed her arms.

I shook my head. "Grian will tell you when he's ready."

Gem huffed.

"You didn't tell me about Hermitcraft," I reminded her.

"That was for everyone's safety, including yours."

"So is this."

Gem sighed. "Fine. Let's find FWhip and go to Gateway. Maybe we can find a cure with the Evolutioners."

I nodded, and we left the tavern.

We went to Gem's wizard tower first to grab the Red Crown. Gem pulled it out of a locked barrel in her study, and I immediately shrunk back.

That thing had caused wars and shattered friendships. it had been the fuel for betrayals, rivalries, and murders. It had controlled the outcome of both Third and Last Life.

I hated it with every ounce of my being.

We went to the Grimlands, both to destroy the crown and find FWhip. However, we weren't really sure how to use the Grimlands forge. So that plan went out the window, and we took the dangerous headpiece back to the Crystal Cliffs. I still hated it when it was put away, but when I didn't hate it as much, I realized that I wasn't immune to its influences. Its presence played with my mind and made me angry.

After returning to the Grimlands and spending hours searching, calling, and getting increasingly frustrated, we found FWhip in the Nether.

"I'm not going back to Katherine, if that's what you want," he said when we walked into the cottage.

"What do you have against her?" Gem asked.

"Nothing. I just don't know what will happen. I want to find a cure that I know will work."

"We're going to Gateway," I said. "You're welcome to come with us. Or you can stay here and sulk. Whatever you want."

"I want to come," FWhip said, cheering up immediately.

Gem pulled out her transport crystal and, to my surprise, handed it to me. "I can only use it to go places I've been before," she explained.

I turned the shard over in my hands. "How do I use it?"

"Just think about it."

I obediently concentrated on Gateway: the big future town hall, the forest, the village. It wasn't much yet, but it would be soon.

I opened my eyes to see a portal, deep blue and shimmering with streaks of silver.

FWhip gave an exaggerated bow and gestured to the portal. "Ladies first."

I laughed and stepped into the portal.

Instantly, I stepped out into Gateway. FWhip and Gem were right behind me.

I took in the improvements everyone had made: gardens, houses, farms. We stood on a cobblestone road lined by trees and bushes. There was a large fountain behind us. A public Nether portal stood beyond that fountain.

"They've done a lot in the past week," Gem said in awe.

Not really knowing what else to do, we started climbing the steps to the big house, waving to False and Cleo as we walked by the duo practicing their swordplay.

We walked into the big house. Or, FWhip did. He didn't feel like knocking. Gem and I followed him, figuring it was too late to be polite.

"Is anyone here?" I called. Last I had checked, all the Hermits were living here. But apparently they had moved out to build bases of their own. Or maybe they were celebrating the arrival of Xisuma.

Since nobody was in the big house, we went back to False and Cleo.

They stopped sparring when we approached. "Hey," Cleo said. False was right behind her, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Do you know where any of the Evolutioners are?" Gem asked.

"Are we too boring?" False joked, grinning.

"They're... about," Cleo said. "Working on their megabases and such."

"Megabases?" Gem yelped. "Already?"

False shrugged. "Well, Scar started it by building too big of a starter base. Then people thought it was a megabase and started building their own. Now it's kind of a race to see who can finish first. Most of the Hermits consider Gateway the new Ninth World. Except those who were really close to the people we... lost..."

"Have you guys found anyone else yet?" I asked.

Their faces fell, and I knew I had asked the wrong question.

"Just XB," False said. "He... didn't make it."

"Oh, no," Gem said.

I had no idea who XB was, so it didn't affect me much. But I couldn't imagine what it was like for the Hermits: three of their own gone, many more still missing. They still had hope, but it was fading fast.

"Who's XB?" FWhip asked, his voice quiet for once.

"He was one of us Hermits," Cleo answered, not bothering to elaborate. She never did, but this time seemed different.

"Can I ask who you are?" False said to FWhip, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"FWhip Tay," the Admin answered.

"Oh, are you Gem's brother?" False realized.

"Twin," Gem and FWhip corrected at the same time, then blushed furiously and looked away from each other.

"They're polar opposites," I said.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a family at home?" False asked, looking a little hurt.

Gem winced. "That would have taken a lot more explaining than I wanted," she said.

The sound of rockets came from behind us. We turned around to see Joe land behind us on the same elytra that he had been wearing in Hermitcraft.

"Grian's calling a meeting," he said, then examined FWhip and me. "I guess you guys can come too, even though you're not Evolutioners or Hermits."

"Hooray, I'm invited," I said dryly. "Where is it?"

"It's at Scar's tree," Joe answered, then flew off without explaining where the heck that was. Why was nobody saying anything?

People were building at record speed. They didn't talk much. They took on other projects to get their minds off bigger problems.

Like their own who had died.

We looked at False and Cleo.

"This way," Cleo said, and followed Joe.

We flew for just a few seconds; it was that close. The tree was easy to spot; it was gigantic and had a treehouse in it. The treehouse was like a mixture of rustic and steampunk, somehow managing to combine the two and look really cool.

"Scar," Gem said automatically. "I think he planted the tree. And built the treehouse."

I wasn't sure. I hadn't seen the builder side of Scar much beyond his little smashed ice cream cone on Magical Mountain. I had only really seen the destructive part of the wizard, that burned random things and stole gear and occasionally helped out a little.

I was pretty sure everyone in Third and Last Life had a hidden side, a better one that was less violent. A side that didn't kill people for kicks and giggles.

Did I really know any of the Last Lifers, or just their survival instincts? I glanced at Cleo, suddenly eager to see what she had been building here.

We landed on the grass at the base of the tree. I was a little disappointed that we didn't land in the treehouse. But I could always explore later.

Xisuma, Bigb, Jimmy, Joe, Netty, Mini, and now False, Cleo, Gem, FWhip, and myself were there. One by one, Evolutioners and Hermits landed in the park, let out cries of excitement when they saw their Admin or their old friends, and then joined the crowd.

Jimmy wandered over to Gem and me. FWhip was off socializing with Tango and Impulse. I hoped the trio wouldn't cause too big of an explosion.

"Now that all four of us are in the same world, are we going to talk about it?" Jimmy asked, taking me off guard with how strong his voice was. He never sounded so sure about anything.

Gem nodded.

"What are you talking about?" I said.

Gem looked at me. "The Listener."

I raised my eyebrows. "Okay. That was unexpected, but okay."

Gem walked over to Scar, who was chatting with Pearl as his cat hunted some bug or something in the grass. The cat, a grey and black tabby with a rust-colored spot on her back, looked at me and hissed. I stuck my tongue out at her.

Cats had never liked me, and the feeling was mutual.

"Don't disrespect Jellie!" Scar scolded, picking up the cat and petting her. "It's okay, Jellie. She didn't mean it."

I decided not to say that I did mean it.

Jellie cuddled her human and looked at me smugly, as if she was saying, Be nice to me or Scar will use his scary magic on you.

What was it with wizards and cats? Gandalf, Goose, and now Jellie. Seriously, what was wrong with the occasional owl or dog or even a parrot?

That brought to mind images of a wizard with an eye patch, hook hand, and peg leg, with a parrot on his shoulder, yelling, "Expelliarmus! Arrgh!"

I smiled at the thought. The funniest part was that I could actually imagine Scar like that.

"We need to get together later," Gem said. "All four of us are here. We might not get this chance again for a while."

Scar set Jellie down on the ground, where she resumed her hunting. "Okay. Meet back here once everyone's gone?" he said.

Gem nodded. "Sure."

I stuffed my hands in my pockets, still incredibly confused about this whole thing.

"Where's Grian?" someone called from the crowd.

"He said he was trimming his hedges," Taurtis answered from the other side of the greenspace.

"WHY IS HE LATE? HE CALLED THIS MEETING!" Jimmy yelled, right in my sensitive wolf ear. I twitched it away from him, annoyed. "THAT IS HIM IN A NUTSHELL."

Most of the assembled group laughed.

It was another ten minutes before our feathered friend turned up. "Sorry," he said. "They were getting out of hand."

Nobody answered. We all just glared at him.

Grian cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said. "Hermits, I've brought Xisuma from the Empires, as you have probably already noticed. Evolutioners, I also brought Bigb and Jimmy."

Everyone cheered at the return of their friends. The three subjects of the announcement looked overwhelmed as people said hi, slapped them on the back, and asked questions.

"On the subject of the search for the rest of the Hermits..." Grian said, causing the mood to darken. "We still haven't found anyone beyond XB. We'll keep searching. Just as a reminder for the search party, we're still missing Stress, Iskall, Etho, Beef, Hypno, Zedaph, TFC, Wels, Doc, Ren, and Cub. Remember, they're not dead until we find their body."

A few people in the crowd nodded.

"That's it. And remember, don't die. Scar."

Grian stepped down from the large tree root he had been using as a stage.

I looked at FWhip. "Don't die?"

FWhip put a hand over his mouth in horror. "They don't have an Admin yet."

Gem and I gave him confused looks.

FWhip explained, "If there's no Admin, then there's no registered citizens. All the people here aren't registered. And if a person dies outside their registered world, then they're gone for good."

I sucked in my breath.

"It also happens if Spawn is destroyed," FWhip added.

That was how those three Hermits were deleted.

Spawn had been destroyed. Then they had died. Since there was nowhere to respawn...

"They need an Admin. And a Spawn point," FWhip said. "This world is pretty much Hardcore at this point. WHY HAVEN'T THEY CHOSE AN ADMIN?"

"Yeah, maybe I should go," Jimmy, who was prone to death, said.

Gem laughed nervously. "Maybe."

Xisuma noticed us and stomped over. "Why don't they have an Admin?"

I threw my hands in the air in surrender. "I don't know!"

"They need an Admin," Xisuma said.

"Yes, they do," FWhip agreed.

"Come on." Xisuma grabbed FWhip's arm and half dragged him toward where Grian was.

"Okay, I guess," FWhip replied. "But I can walk! You don't have to kidnap me!" Then the two Admins disappeared into the crowd.

Gem, Jimmy, and I exchanged slightly amused glances and followed.

When we caught up to them, Grian was frowning at FWhip and saying, "You again? What are you doing here?"

FWhip rubbed his arm. "I came with Blue and Gem, wherever they went."

"Right here," I said. "And you were the one dragged off. We didn't go anywhere."

Xisuma crossed his arms. "You need an Admin."

Grian nodded, looking a little panicked. "I know. But nobody can agree on who it should be."

"Hold an election. You're great at those," Xisuma said.

"Yeah, but the Evolutioners would want me to run. I don't want to run."

"Why not?" FWhip asked, looking confused.

"Because I know how it turned out last time I was Admin."

"Evo," I breathed. "You were Admin of Evo."

Grian nodded. "And the Evolutioners still seem to think it's a good idea."

I snorted. "No offense, but it's not."

"Who do the Hermits want?" Gem asked.

"Most of them want Xisuma, naturally," Grian said, looking at him.

Xisuma shrugged. "I would, if everyone wanted me to."

"They're treating Gateway like the Ninth World," Grian said, grinning. "I think they want to stay here. And they'd want their Admin back."

"But the Evolutioners don't even know me," X said.

"What if you just did an emergency Admin?" Jimmy suggested. "Just choose someone to lead until you can find a permanent one. Just long enough to register everyone and get a Spawn point in."

Grian looked at him in surprise. "You actually came up with a good idea, Timmy."

Jimmy didn't bother to correct him. "I come up with good ideas all the time. You guys just don't listen to them."

"Oooh, roasted," FWhip said.

"But who's the temporary Admin?" I asked.

"Someone who's had experience leading," FWhip said. "Like, actual experience. Not six months of demons and missing people."

We all looked at Xisuma.

He shrugged again. "Sure."

"Everyone has to agree to it, though," Grian said. "Let's hope they do."

Everyone was still there. Nobody had left yet. It seemed like they were all saying goodbye to a small group of people consisting of a bunch of Hermits. I scanned the crowd and realized something.

"Grian, where's Tango?"

Grian looked at the group as well. "He's still unconscious," he answered. "I have no idea what it'll be like when he wakes up. Bdubs and Keralis are both gone, Hermitcraft is destroyed... and we don't even know what happened to him. Something exploded, we know that much. So far his only response to anything is to groan and mutter something about rabbits."

"At least he's alive," I said.

"Didn't he kill you?" Jimmy asked.

I nodded. "I'm waiting for him to get better before I get him back."

FWhip cracked up.

"Let me know when it happens," Grian chuckled. "I want to be there so I can see it."

If it happened.

I shook my head as if that would shake off the thought. It would happen. It had to.

The Hermits couldn't lose anyone else.

"I'll talk to Zee later," Grian said. "Xisuma, you should come too. To speak for the Hermits, you know? And FWhip, I need to talk to you about Jimmy and Pearl."

X nodded. "Okay. Good. Sure."

"They're not staying permanently," FWhip said. "I don't think they'd want that."

"We don't," Jimmy said. "Or at least, I don't. I mean, it was nice to see everyone again, but it feels like there's a little bit of distance between us. Also I have an empire to run, and a sister, and a brother in law, and a boy-" he abruptly stopped.

"We need to talk to Scar," Gem said, looking at Jimmy and me. "Meet back here later to go home?"

FWhip nodded. "I'll bring Pearl as well, if she wants to."

"Scar?" Grian asked.

Gem nodded and led Jimmy and me away without another word.

We walked over to Scar, who was sitting on a tree root and petting Jellie. The darn cat hissed at me. Scar frowned down at her. "Be nice, Jellie."

His familiar meowed in protest and jumped out of her owner's arms, strutting away to annoy some other person.

Grumbling about cats and their entitled personalities, I followed Scar, Gem, and Jimmy up to the tree house.

"Did you plant this tree?" Gem asked.

Scar nodded, glancing back at the small entitled ball of fluff that was Jellie. "I'm really proud of it."

"It's cool," Gem said.

"Better than anything I could do," Jimmy said.

A dirt hut is better than anything you could do, my brain said rebelliously (and dishonestly).

"Hey, you're getting better at building," Gem said optimistically. "You have that cod statue in your lake. That's got to count for something."

"Pix built that."

"...Oh."

I smiled. "It's okay, Jimmy. I'm not the best builder either. That's Gem. Gem's the builder, FWhip's the terraformer, I'm the crazy person with a sword."

"Aww, thanks," Gem said. "But you're not half bad."

"What about the redstoner?" Scar asked.

"Also FWhip. Although he's better at gadgets and robots than actual contraptions. And half the time they run on magic."

"The amount of magic in the Empires is unbelievable," Scar said. "I've never seen so much in one world. You guys just kind of throw it around like- like confetti! Magic is like confetti to you guys."

"In my family, Lizzy's the builder and I'm just that random guy who gets into trouble all the time and has to ask for help," Jimmy said sheepishly.

"In Boatem, I was head of sales, Impulse was the redstoner but he tried to be head of happiness, Mumbo was the CEO-turned-janitor, Grian was the M&M guy, and Pearl was the path lady," Scar remembered.

"The path lady," Gem agreed, nodding like it was common knowledge.

Head of happiness? CEO-turned-janitor? M&M guy? Path lady?

I decided that I didn't want to know.

"Don't we have, like, serious stuff to talk about?" Jimmy said nervously, glancing out the window. "As much as I want to know what crazy stuff you guys do in Hermitcraft, can we talk about that so I can go home and throw magic around like confetti again?"

Scar grinned, but both wizards nodded.

"So a while ago..." Gem started. "Oh, wow, I really don't know how to start this. But the Listener is the one who gave me my powers. I think. And then she started talking to me in my dreams and giving me advice. She's the one who helped me with the elven library and defeating Xornoth."

"She goes a lot further back than that, though," Jimmy muttered. "A lot farther back than Evo, actually."

"According to... " I glanced at Jimmy. "Well, according to something I learned while I was in the Downside-Up, the Watchers are immortal. They can't die."

"So, you're saying that we have no hope of defeating them," Scar said.

Gem looked at me suspiciously.

"Defeat is different than death," I argued, ignoring her.

"Where did you learn this?" Gem asked.

"A Watcher," I said quickly. It wasn't a complete lie. "They were bragging about how they were all-powerful and immortal."

Gem didn't look satisfied. But Jimmy looked relieved, and Scar, being the gullible idiot that he was, bought it.

"So anywaaaay," Scar said. "I got my powers from the Listener too! Yay! And she said that us four have to band together to defeat the Watchers!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Okay. Wow."

"None of us know how," Gem said. "I haven't gotten any word from her since the moon started getting too close."

"Me, too," Scar said.

"I have," Jimmy said. "She just said to expect Gem and Pearl to come back soon."

"I haven't heard from her since Last Life," I said.

For the second time, I thought about what Martyn had said. Even though the Listener had tried to get into Evo a second time, she was unable to. She had given up. What if she had tried to get me out of the Downside-Up, failed, and given up on me completely?

What if she had abandoned not only Martyn, but his replacement?

Speaking of him...

"There's something you should know," I said.

Gem looked at me eagerly. I realized she expected me to tell her about Grian. Jimmy looked horrified. "Blue don't, it's not..."

"Martyn's here," I said.

"What?" Scar asked.

"That filthy..." Jimmy growled.

Gem looked disappointed.

"He's here?!" Jimmy exclaimed.

I nodded. "Only the missing Evolutionists and Grian know. We didn't want to tell you guys because we knew that people like Jimmy and Ren, when we find him, will have some things to say and do to him."

"Things that he deserves!" Jimmy yelled.

"Shh, there's still people outside," Gem said, peering out the window.

"I don't care!" Jimmy said. "That... sausage deserves every bad thing that comes his way!"

"Not the Downside-Up," I said quietly.

They all turned to me.

"We found him huddled in the corner of his cell, too scared to even turn around because the Watchers had been manipulating him to near insanity," I continued darkly. "They never laid a finger on him. But there are other ways of torture. Some things are worse than death."

"If they tortured him, he deserved it," Jimmy said stubbornly.

"You don't understand!" I said, slamming my fist on the table. "They were turning into the people he knew to taunt him. The people they promised they would bring back. I'm not siding with him. I hate him, almost as much as you do. But nobody deserves to rot in the Downside-Up for all eternity, slowly going insane because of the Watchers' taunts. Nobody."

Jimmy turned away, his expression stony. "You should have left him there."

I wanted to retaliate. I wanted to yell, to tell him what it was like there. To tell him how broken all of us had been. How broken I had been, even after a few minutes. I wanted to tell him about the claustrophobic tunnels, the shifting maze, the feeling of being completely and permanently trapped.

But I didn't.

I held my tongue because we couldn't afford to fall apart now, moments after we had come together. I didn't want to be the cause of a conflict between people who were supposed to work with each other to defeat the ones who had broken us.

"Well, he's here now," I said instead. "I thought you guys should know. Apparently I shouldn't have told you."

"Probably not," Gem agreed, glancing at Jimmy.

"What about Pearl?" Jimmy argued. "And Bigb? They should know that he's here."

"I thought the same about you," I said. "But look at how you reacted."

Jimmy slumped in his seat, which I took to mean I had won.

"Anyway," Scar said. "We have more important things to talk about than a guy who killed Ren."

"And betrayed every one of the people he should have been thrilled were alive," Jimmy muttered.

"Stop arguing," Gem said. "You can rant on and on about Martyn later, preferably while you're completely alone. But Blue, I think they should know what happened... if you're okay telling them."

I paled and shook my head. "I don't want to remember that," I said.

The fear. The panic. The feeling of being trapped in a tight space with no way out. The blade clashing against mine, red blood mixing with silver...

My throat tightened, and my stomach churned. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to think about it.

Gem put an arm around me. I let her for thirty seconds, then pulled away.

The others shot me concerned glances, which I quickly stopped with a (rather weak, probably) glare. I didn't want their pity. I just wanted to find the other Hermits and be done with this whole thing.

"So..." Jimmy said, a little awkwardly.

Why was I being so pathetic? Some people were way worse off than I was. I had a family, a home world, and a lot of good friends, even if they did try to take over the world sometimes. Some people had nothing. No Spawn Point. Close friends and relatives had died. Worlds were shattered, people killed, but not many that I was close to.

"I went through some bad things," I said after a long silence. "But there are people who have it worse than me."

I looked at Jimmy. "Like having a close friend join the enemy." I glanced at Gem and Scar. "Or having their world destroyed."

Jimmy winced. "I'm used to it," Scar said, but his voice wavered.

"I think we should get started with this," I said. "But not the Watchers. We should start by reuniting people who were separated. I know how it feels to have my family torn apart. Before we defeat the Watchers, before we even worry about them, we should find the missing Hermits."

The other three nodded as well.

"I have an idea for a spell that can locate them," Gem said. "But I need Scar's help."

Scar looked flattered at his fellow wizard's inclusion of him. "I've barely used my powers except to make diamonds!"

Gem looked at him. "Cross-Realm spells need a lot of power," she said. "I can do it in the Empires because there's so much magic there. I could do it in Hermitcraft because the moon was so close and the power was strong. But here, I'll need another wizard. Also because that antidote reduced my powers."

I looked at her, alarmed. "You didn't tell me that."

She shrugged. "It's kind of weird. But I still have magic, it's just not as strong."

Scar bounced in his chair excitedly. "I'm gonna learn real magic!" He sang to himself.

"Yes, you are," Gem said, smiling as if at a toddler.

Jimmy and I exchanged glances and rolled our eyes.

"Is that it, then?" I said. "Make crystal tonight, find Hermits, then defeat Watchers?"

They nodded.

Jimmy grinned. "Meeting adjourned."

—---

The plan went wrong almost immediately.

Well, not really wrong, but we had to make a change.

Gem, Jimmy, and I met up with FWhip and Pearl to give them the transport crystal so they could go home. Then FWhip said, "Jimmy, I have an idea."

Jimmy crossed his arms. "Yeah?"

"I thought of a way that we can get your cod mask back."

Jimmy huffed. "You're the reason it's gone in the first place!"

"I thought you gave it back during the Ender Dragon fight," I accused.

Jimmy and FWhip nodded, the cod glaring at the Admin. "He did," the former said. "But right after we came back from Last Life, the Cod Council came and took it."

"Cod Council?" Gem asked, visibly trying to hold back her laughter.

"It's a long story," Jimmy said. "But they took it because the salmon were still taking over despite my efforts. They said I would earn it back."

"That's the thing," FWhip said. "You're the Codfather. You should be commanding them, not the other way around. Why listen to them when cod and salmon can work together? Save all the fish. You let a Watcher live among humans, why not let salmon live among cod?"

Jimmy considered that.

Then an expression of pure panic crossed his face.

"WHO TOLD YOU?" Jimmy yelled at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to jump in alarm and Joe and Cleo, who were nearby, to turn and stare at us.

Then I realized.

A Watcher among humans.

FWhip knew.

But how?

Gem grabbed my arm. "That's it. Grian's a Watcher. Why didn't I put the pieces together before... the wings, the teleportation, that Galactic rune floating above his head... that's Grian's secret. He's a Watcher. I understand why you didn't tell us now, Blue."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?" Jimmy shouted at FWhip. Pearl just stared in shock.

"Calm down," FWhip said.

"Promise you won't tell anyone," Jimmy demanded. He started to pace, putting his webbed hands on his head, then his hips, then just flailing them around in the air.

"Jimmy."

"Nobody was supposed to know. Grian said..."

"Jimmy."

"He said to keep it a secret, but now someone gave it away." He wheeled on me. "You told him."

"No, she couldn't have... right, Blue?" Pearl glared at me.

"JIMMY," FWhip said. "Blue didn't tell me. Grian did."

"What?" Jimmy said, lowering his hands.

"He figured that Hermits, Emperors, and Evolutionists would have to work together, so he had a meeting with me and Xisuma. He said no more secrets, at least between the Admins."

I let out a relieved sigh. "Okay, now you guys can stop pestering me about it."

They all smiled tightly.

Gem pulled the transport crystal. "Here," she said, handing it to FWhip.

"What?" He stared at the amethyst, then up at us.

"We're staying to help find the missing Hermits," I explained.

"Same," Pearl added. "I'd live to see the Empires again, but these people are my friends too."

FWhip took the crystal, his shoulders slumping. "Well, I'd stay with you, but I kinda need to get to the Nether. I'm getting a little bit cold. Also, salmon and cod war resolution. If Jimmy agrees."

"Once we find the Hermits, we're using that crystal to find Scott," I said to Gem. "We don't know how much time he has."

Gem nodded. However, Jimmy hesitated.

"I want to help," he said. "But I don't actually know many Hermits. And I kind of want to try the whole thing with cod and salmon. We've been at war for so long... since before even Evolution..."

Gem gave him a comforting smile. "It's okay. You can go."

Jimmy nodded gratefully.

FWhip held out the crystal. "How do you use this thing?"

Gem sighed. "Were you not listening when I told you and Blue how to?"

FWhip shrugged and shook his head.

I laughed. Gem, however, looked annoyed. "Why don't you listen to me?"

FWhip shrugged again.

I just realized how weird the word shrugged is

Gem sighed again. "You just concentrate."

"Say that again?" FWhip teased.

Gem huffed and walked away. I shot the Admin an amused glance before joining her. Once, I glanced back at the other Emperors to see FWhip staring at the crystal, then brightening up as a deep red and bronze portal opened in front of him.

Why was I so scared? I shouldn't have been scared. FWhip could take care of himself. Most of the time.

I tore my eyes away from the three Emperors and then ran into Gem, who had stopped. She grabbed my arm to keep from falling over.

"I don't know where Grian would be," she admitted.

"Ask someone," I suggested.

Gem walked over to Joe and Cleo.

"Why are you doing the whole 'free tools when people die' thing if when people die, they're deleted?" Cleo was saying. "There's just no point."

"Well, we're going to be getting an Admin soon," Joe argued. "Hopefully Xisuma. And once that happens, people will definitely be relaxing their defenses and stuff. We can rely on Scar at least to not have good enough gear not to die by then."

Cleo sighed.

"Hi, do you know where Grian is?" Gem asked.

They both shrugged. "Probably at his base," Joe said.

"Where's that?" I said.

Cleo pointed south. "He's built a rock in between Scar's tree and Mumbo's vault. I don't know where he got that idea. But you'll know it when you see it."

Gem nodded slowly. "Okay."

Then she took off on her elytra. Cleo, who didn't have them yet, glared at her in jealousy.

I shot them an amused glance before showing off my own elytra and flying after her.

"BLUE!" Cleo yelled.

I laughed.

We soared high into the air, trying to see the "rock" that Cleo had told us about. It wasn't hard. There was a large boulder with a stack of crates and chests next to it.

"Chest monster," Gem said automatically. "That's him."

I smiled, remembering the massive pile of storage in the Southlands.

Then I frowned because that made me think of Last Life in general.

We landed on top of the boulder. "Grian?" Gem called.

I jumped off the boulder, wincing as I took some damage from the fall, and peered around the base of the rock. I found an entrance and waved Gem down.

We went inside the boulder to find it completely hollowed out. There was a line of chests supported by logs along one side, and a conduit hanging from the ceiling. That was it.

Gem looked around and, finding it empty, said, "He might be gathering, but I don't think he would be so soon after he had that meeting with the Admins."

"He might still be there," I said.

"Hold on," she said, and typed something into her communicator.

"I've asked Jimmy to ask FWhip where the meeting was," Gem said.

We waited a minute until her communicator beeped again.

"Town hall," Gem muttered. "Where's that?"

"It's that building we went into when we first came," I said.

So we flew off... again.

We landed at Town Hall and headed inside.

I headed to the large living room, where I assumed they would hold meetings. I noticed that there was still a stain on the floor where Salems had spilled a bit of awkward potion.

Grian was there, as well as Xisuma. There was an Admin bracelet on the coffee table, but Xisuma still had his on.

It took me a minute to realize that this one was much older than even the Empires one - this one was from Evo.

How had Grian held on to it this long?

The same way I held on to Ren's sunglasses, I thought with amusement, fingering them.

"Hi," Grian said. Xisuma turned around to look at us.

"Did we interrupt something?" Gem said.

"Yes," Grian said, just as Xisuma said, "No, go ahead."

Grian sighed. "Fine."

"We think we have a way to find everyone," I said, because I just couldn't hold it in any longer.

Grian and Xisuma sucked in their breath.

They looked at each other. "We were thinking of just registering everyone and then teleporting them to Spawn here, once we establish it," Xisuma said

"That could work," Gem said.

"But it won't work for anyone if even one person is dead," FWhip said unhelpfully. "Then you'll have to figure out who it is."

"True," Grian said, his face falling. "Is your way ready?"

"It will be, as soon as the moon comes out," Gem said.

Grian grinned. "Sunset is just a few hours away."

"I know," Gem said.

"Just letting you know that it won't take long before we find everyone," I said.

But sadness still hung in the air.

Only a few hours before we know if anyone else is dead.