All he could do was sit there.

Sit there and watch his best friend suffer.

She was trapped, confined to the hospital bed, something too complex for a kid like him to understand. Machines were hooked up to her body, monitoring her every movement and breath. They were young, confused. Too young to have to go through something this hard. The problem was something with her heart, though the doctors didn't know what exactly the problem was. Most weeks were spent in and out of the hospital, check ups and scans to make sure her heart was okay, and he was there for it all.

The two were inseparable for years. Best friends who lived next door to one another. The heart issues started when she was around five or six, only growing worse with age. But he was always at her side. Always waiting in the hospital to see if the surgery was a success. Time would pass, the two would grow, and so would their relationship.

Some days were better than others. For a couple months at a time, things would be normal. They would go to school, play like normal children would. Then her heart would worsen, and another few weeks would pass where she would be locked away in a hospital room. But he was always there for her.

They were supposed to go to senior prom together, though things didn't go as planned. The night was spent in a hospital, a familiar setting at this point. Though, he still showed up in a tuxedo, with a bouquet of flowers that matched her fiery orange hair. They spent the night together, close as can be, and she was happy to have the company.

As they got older, however, it seemed like things were getting worse. Still, doctors couldn't pinpoint what had gone wrong with her heart. It was a simple mystery to them. By the time the two were in their late 20's, she had gotten the news that caused their world to fall apart.

"They say there isn't much else they can do." She said, her hair falling in front of her glassy eyes. "They don't think I'm going to make it. Another bad heart attack, and it could put too much strain on my heart. I could—"

"You won't." He stated firmly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

"Please, I don't want any more surgeries. I just want to spend my last little bit with you."

"There has to be something." He said, slightly raising his voice. "I can help you. Please, just let me."

She pulled her hand away, brushing her hair out of her face. "I don't want you to try and fix me. I want you to be here with me."

"What do you think I've been doing for the past two decades?! Nothing worked, hell, things got worse!" He stood up from his seat, taking off the glasses that he wore to wipe away the tears in his eyes.

"It's okay." She said, her voice calm as can be.

"No." He shook his head slowly, turning towards the door of the apartment. "It isn't. I can't sit here and watch you die."

"Please—" She tried to stop him, reaching out to do so, but he stormed out without another word.

The next few years were tough and lonely. She could feel the strain on her heart with each passing day, and her closest friend had left. Not a word from him, even as she was in and out of hospitals. All alone. They were inseparable. They were supposed to be together, through the good and bad. Yet he vanished. Even when she begged him to stay for the last few years of her life, he left.

She died later on, her heart finally unable to continue beating. The last thing she heard was the flatline beep of the machine next to her, before everything turned blurry and distant.

Though, she wouldn't be dead for long. She gasped for breath, warm air filling her lungs for the first time in weeks. Sitting upright in the hospital cot, she felt her heart thumping against her chest like never before. The room was dark, not where she had been laid to rest. It was someplace new, somewhere she had not been before.

The sound of a heavy book closing shut caught her attention, echoing in the quiet room. Suddenly light flickered overhead, a figure standing in the doorway with his finger on the switch. Her closest friend. He stood there in a long lab coat, the lenses on his glasses cracked, even a bit of a shabby beard growing on his chin. In his other hand he held some sort of book, covered in all sorts of glowing symbols and other mystical writings.

"You're alive." He said, breathless in amazement.

"I'm alive." She repeated, just as confused. "Wha—, what is going on? Where—"

She tried to stand, but he dropped the book and rushed to her side, gently pushing her back onto the cot. "Nono, stay! Please, the potion was still a work in progress, I'm not sure—"

"Potion—?! What?"

"I'm sorry." He said, eyes tearfully filled with remorse. "I wanted to be there. To help you. But I couldn't let you die. I wouldn't."

The gaze in her eyes shifted from worry and concern to more serious. "What...what did you do..?" She asked in a whisper.

"I found something." He walked back to the book he had dropped, lifting it off of the ground and opening the pages. "A book of legends. Of magic. It took me a while, I had to search through Greece and its many islands, but I found it."

His grin was filled with pride, though it felt unsettling in some way. "It's called the book of oracles. A gift from the Ancient Greek Gods. A book with the ability to see the many different paths of the future."

"I-I don't understand—"

"I used the book to guide me." He explained, pacing as he flipped through the pages. "I could see exactly what I needed to do, what path I needed to take, to save you. The book led me to an ancient garden hidden away. It was filled with statues of people, frozen by Medusa. It was her garden, a sanctuary. It's said that the flowers that grow in that garden could bring the dead back to life."

"This is crazy." She shook her head, standing on weak legs with a hand on the wall for support.

"N-no, please!" He insisted while shutting the book. "It's all true. It took many years, but I did it. By the time I got back, you had just passed. But I did everything I could, with the book and the flower, to save you."

"I can't do this. I need to go home. You're talking like a maniac, you look like a maniac!"

She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and squeezed it with a firm grip. "Please," He begged, eyes pleading. "Don't go. I just got you back."

In anger, her eyes flashed yellow as she pulled her hand away. "I need to think. Alone. About...all this."

He didn't speak, frozen in place as she stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her in rage.

~•~

"These are the friends of mine I was telling you about." Said Mumbo, gesturing to a few others standing beside him in the hallway.

"Oh! Please, come in!" Grian invited, opening the door wider and gesturing inside. "I haven't unpacked much yet, so uh, sorry for the mess."

"Don't worry about it! It looks better than my place." A man said as he walked in, his green eyes drawing attention to the large scar that went across his face. He wore a cream colored shirt with a walnut colored leather jacket, along with russet brown pants to match.

"This is Scar—" A brunette introduced, wearing mostly pink with a crown of flowers in her hair. "—He's easily distracted, so don't mind his lack of introduction. My name is Stress. I live just a few doors down."

In her hands she held a potted plant, a housewarming present of beautiful flowers that were an array of colors. She handed the pot to Grian with a smile, who admired the stunning plants. "Wow, thank you. I've never seen flowers quite like these before."

He placed it down onto the coffee table in the living room, waving his hand to invite the rest of Mumbo's friends inside. There were quite a few, so it was hard to squeeze everyone into the apartment (especially since the floor was still covered in half empty boxes).

There was Tango, Impulse, and Zed, a group of three roommates who were an inseparable trio. Cub, Scar's best friend, who was more level-headed in order to keep the scatter brain in check. Ren, a guy who thinks he's so cool that he wears sunglasses all the time (he volunteers at the animal shelter too, so Grian did think he was pretty cool for that). Bdubs, a short guy with an even shorter fuse, and Keralis, his more laid back, go with the flow pal. False and Wels, two more serious members of the group, though that didn't stop them from laughing and cracking jokes along with the others.

"Oh dear!" A voice called from the doorway, almost half an hour after Mumbo and his friends showed up. Grian turned to spot the voice, a man standing with a box in his hands. His chestnut hair was fluffy and long, pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a dark purple sweatshirt and jeans, and there were two long scars across his face, crossing over each other like an 'x'.

"Jeez, look who showed up to the party late." Ren joked, pushing his sunglasses onto the top of his head.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Muttered the newcomer, his voice holding a British accent. "I didn't mean to be this late."

Mumbo placed a hand on Grian's shoulder, waving for the man to come inside. "G, this is Xisuma. He's been here the longest out of all of us. He's the one who really formed this group."

"Oh, don't give me all the credit. I just wanted to get to know some of the new neighbors, and, well, it evolved into this." X chuckled nervously, shaking Grian's hand as an introduction.

"It's still nice to meet you." Said the architect with a warm smile. "Don't mind the boxes lying around, they're filled with junk anyway."

"Speaking of boxes—" Xisuma smirked as he walked over to the coffee table, joining the large group of people. "—I brought donuts!"

"I forgive you for being late." Ren said jokingly, snatching a pastry from the box.

"Show up however late you want, as long as you bring donuts!" Zedaph laughed.

Grian stared at the crowd of happy people, laughing and joking with one another, a slight grin on his face as he watched them. Mumbo stood next to him, nudging his arm slightly. "You alright, G?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah." The architect nodded with a smile. "Just stuck in my thoughts for a second there. Thanks for this, Mumbo."

"Oh? For what?"

"For finding me. I'd probably be stuck wandering the streets if it wasn't for you!"

"Aw, don't mention it." He said, jokingly punching Grian's arm. "Come on, I'm sure the others want to talk more with you. They all seem to really like you."

He smiled at that. "I'm glad."