"Now then, stay still and this will all be over with..." Ex said softly, gently shaking the potion bottle, the crimson liquid bubbling. Grian has no where to go, standing on the edge of the crater with no elytra, and no way to safely make it down.

"Ex, please, why are you doing this....?" Grian asked quietly, hoping he could stall the evil hermit long enough so that he could come up with a plan. Ex just laughed, peering into the glass of the boiling potion.

"Well I suppose I could tell you, since you won't remember me after this." He said, slightly pausing as he looked to Grian, who let out a sigh of relief. Ex didn't lower the potion, however, which kept the small builder alert and on his toes.

"My brother and I used to read fairytales as children," Ex began to explain, his evil expression beginning to morph as he looked into the potion glass, a hint of sadness and regret caught in his eyes. "It was the only thing we could agree on, everything else we would fight about."

He paused, Ex clearing his throat before he continued.

"He always saw me as a child. So I acted like one. It's not like he cared, he was too busy to even care for me. When he was invited to hermitcraft, he was so excited.

I asked if he would visit.

He said no.

So I asked if I could come with him.

He said that I was too young and irresponsible.

So he left me behind. I waited for him, and I was so happy when he came back in-between seasons. It wasn't for long, but he stayed with me.

But we fought.

More and more often.

The one thing we still had in common was our love of fairytales and old stories. We never fought over it. No matter how old we got, we would read the 'Wizard of OZ' by the fire.

And when he said he was leaving again....

I was hurt. I thought that maybe he would stay.

But he left me again.

So I spent the rest of my time trying to break into hermitcraft and see him again. And when I finally did....

He didn't want to see me."

"Ex...I-I'm so sorry.." Grian said, slowly approaching Xisuma's brother, the small hermit placing a hand on his shoulder. In a sudden fit of rage, Ex screamed, throwing the potion against the wall, the red liquid slowly dripping down the side of the netherrack.

"And that's not all!" Ex screamed, taking off his helmet and throwing it against the ground, before running his hand through his long, white hair.

"He let his friends think I was evil! He didn't care to introduce me, he just told them that I was ' evil Xisuma ' and they all trusted him! They cast me out, and hated me!

So you know what I did?

I swore to get my revenge on my stupid brother and his friends.

Because why show them anything other than what they believe?!"

Ex shoved Grian off of him, before reaching his hand into the worn out leather satchel that was slung over his shoulder. He pulled out the last red potion, his eyes fixated on Grian's horrified expression.

"I'm going to make sure you all stay in these stupid fairytales!" Ex screamed, ripping the cork off of the bottle, raising the glass over his head. Grian closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact of the glass and potion.

"Oh good witch of the north...?" A voice questioned, Grian opening his eyes to find that Ex's attention had been turned to the four hermits standing by the exit, Xisuma taking a step forward, tilting his head slightly at his brother. Ex bit his lip, slowly lowering the potion.

"Are you alright?" Xisuma asked, his pale eyes locked on Grian, the tin-man moving past Ex and helping the small builder stand. Keralis, Scar, and Bdubs quickly ran by Grian's side, all trying to make sure that the 'witch' was alright. The small hermit looked to Ex, who was standing by the exit, slightly looking back at Grian, the two locking eyes.

"I'll be back for you." Ex said, his glare slowly shifting from Grian to Xisuma, where his evil stare softened, before the evil hermit turned away, his helmet underneath his arm. He quickly put his headgear on before darting off into the darkness of the nether.

"Are you alright? Who was that..?" Xisuma asked Grian, who was still a bit shocked, looking at the concerned expression of the fairytale hermits that surrounded him. The builder just shook his head, he didn't want to confuse the hermits by telling them about the people they didn't remember.

"I-it was no one. Don't worry about it." Grian said quietly, watching as the hermit's confused expressions shifted to gleeful smiles, as if they had completely forgotten what had just happened. They all re-linked arms, cheerfully singing as they skipped down the golden-plated path.

Questions shot around Grian's head as he watched the hermits skip off. Did they forget what had just happened? Or were they choosing to ignore it? And why did Ex run off? He could have turned Grian into a fairytale hermit, the only downside was that he would have splashed Xisuma and the others too.

One thing is certain, Grian needed help. He needed his friends back. And he needed it fast.