It was done.

They were all under the fantastical spell, the hermits unaware of their fast-approaching demise. Ex had everything in place, everything ready to completely destroy the hermits. They would all suffer for the pain that they caused him, and yet they could do nothing about what was coming. They couldn't prevent the evil hermit's attack because they barely knew who they were, and Evil Xisuma was grinning ear to ear because of it.

And as for his brother, the one who had left Ex behind and caused him to suffer in solitude..

..He would be the first eliminated.

—

The evil hermit peered around the corner, groaning at the sound of happy singing. He gripped a small dagger in his hands, Ex thought it would be more fun to personally kill his brother instead of blowing him up.

Ex glanced around for any signs of the tin man, spotting his brother skipping along happily with four other hermits. He silently followed, the group didn't seem to know where to go, so it was easy to catch up with them.

The four skipped past the barge and towards the moon area of the shopping district, stopping by the front of Xisuma's rock shop to look for where 'Oz' was. Ex held tight to the dagger, slowly approaching behind his brother. He slowly raised the dagger, holding his breath as he tried not to alert the tin man of his arrival. Xisuma pauses for a moment, slightly looking back at his brother.

"Hello!" He sung happily with a cheery tone and a warm smile. His evil twin froze at the sound of his brother's voice. Ex hid the knife behind his back, smiling at his brainwashed brother.

"I feel like I've seen you before.." his brother slightly examined the evil hermit, his head tilting as he studied his brother. Ex looked to the three other hermits, Bdubs was hiding behind Keralis and Scar was holding Jellie, all four of the hermits seemed empty, almost scared.

"U-uh..well-" Ex started as he looked his brother in the eyes, gripping the knife in his hand as tight as he could. Xisuma's confused glance was locked on Ex, the evil hermit fighting back tears as he dropped the knife.

"I'm sorry Xisuma.." he mumbled as his hands turned to fists, the evil male looking to the ground. He didn't want his brother to see him crying. The admin's eyes slightly flashed, Xisuma reaching out to try and place a hand on his brother's shoulder, hesitating before stepping back and holding his head in pain.

Ex looked up, the admin shaking his head as he tried to return to state of normal, Xisuma's eyes back to the cool and empty blue, which hurt Ex even more. Bdubs, Keralis, and Scar helped Xisuma stand, his legs shaking. The admin held his head, locking eyes with his brother once more, the two looking at each other for a few moments.

"I-I'm Sorry..do I know you? You look familiar." Xisuma repeated with an empty voice. Ex fought the urge to speak to his brother. He only made things worse. He only hurt people. The evil hermit took a few steps back with tears at the ends of his eyes, Ex glancing between the hermits.

I'll fix this... Ex thought to himself, running off without a word to his brother, heading straight for the nether portal as tears ran down his face. The evil male knew he couldn't fix it, he only ruins things, he only hurts people.

So Ex had to find someone who could fix his mess.

—

"Something isn't right, he isn't right.."

Mumbo paced back and forth, muttering to himself in the darkness of his grand bedroom. His mind was racing as he was trying to remain calm. The beast wasn't sure what to do. He froze at the knock on his door, looking back at the small male that stepped into the bedroom.

Grian looked confused at the Beast's fear, his empty eyes filled with concern as he studied Mumbo. The small hermit clung to a few books, holding them close to his chest.

"I-I thought your were in the library.." Mumbo said to try and calm Grian's stressed posture. The shorter male pushed his glasses up, slightly shaking his head.

"It feels weird to be alone in there.." Grian mumbled while looking to the ground. Mumbo frowned, placing his hand on the builder's back and leading him out of the bedroom.

"I'll come with you," the beast smiled, Grian slightly nodding as the two ventured through the large hallways and into the grand library, a ginormous fireplace in the back of the room. Grian has seemingly made a fort out of pillows and blankets by the fire, stacks of books scattered through the area.

Mumbo slightly chuckled, when the beast had first met the builder, he was scared and quiet. But after that 'medication', he'd been showing off his personality more often. Grian's red sweater had been changed to yellow, and he wore glasses now. The human also seemed obsessed with Mumbo's collection of books in the library, but it still felt off.

"Come on!" Grian laughed as he crawled into the pillow fort by the fire. Mumbo grumbled as he crawled into the mess of blankets and pillows, Grian laying on his stomach as he continued to read one of the many novels. The beast copied Grian's position, laying on his stomach and trying to look at what the human was reading.

Grian's eyelids slightly fell after almost an hour of reading. His tired mind relaxed as the human leaned his head onto the fuzzy Beast's mane, using Mumbo's furry exterior as a pillow, despite being surrounded by much comfier cushions. The beast chuckled under their breath, shutting his eyes and relaxing in the warmth and tranquility of the library.

—

"Grian..."

"Grian please.."

"Grian wake up!"

The hermit was being shaken violently, Grian groaning with a tired voice as he opened his eyes, adjusting his crooked glasses to get a better look at who woke him up.

"I'm sorry, do I know you..?" He asked the man in black and red armor, the male hesitating as he let go of Grian's shoulders, looking to the beast next to the human.

"Mumbo, why the hell would you listen to me?!" He groaned, the beast's yellow eyes opening and locking onto Ex. A low growl came from the monster, Grian stepping back and into Mumbo's reach, who grabbed the human and pulled him close in a protective manner.

"Why are you back? I did what you asked.."

"I wish you didn't.."

"Leave before I make you.." Mumbo growled as he ignored Ex's response, showing off his razor sharp claws and growling to try and scare off the evil hermit.

"You know him, Mumbo?" Grian asked with a yawn, half asleep and barely paying attention to what was going on. The beast lifted the human into one of his arms, the other still showing off his claws. Grian yawned once more and nuzzled his face into the beast's fluffy mane, falling back asleep.

"Why are you here?" The beast asked with a sharp whisper.

"I-I thought Grian was still-"

"Grian is fine. I don't know who you are or why you keep showing up, but I am not letting you hurt him. Understand?" The beast narrowed their eyes, holding one of his claws to the evil hermit's throat. Mumbo's claw was about as long as a small dagger, which caused Ex to nervously nod, the beast smiling as relaxing his posture.

"Good. Now leave."

Ex nodded, beginning to leave the library. Mumbo stood outside the pillow fort, watching to make sure he didn't come back.

"Oh, and Mumbo?" Ex looked back, the two locking eyes.

"He may be the one."

"T-the one?"

"I've seen the story," he chuckled, looking back to the ground.

"The one who can free you from your curse.."