"What do you want?" Grian choked out. "Why are you doing this? Who are you?"

The tall man chuckled. "What do I want? Why am I doing this? Well, it's obvious, isn't it? I want you to have as much pain as you've caused me. I want you to suffer."

"What... What did I do?" Grian began to feel overwhelmed, not understanding how he was at fault, and yet still being put to blame.

"You should know that, shouldn't you? What you caused. Who you killed."

"K-killed?!"

The tall man placed his hands at the edge of his hood, letting a raspy laugh out. "You really don't remember?"

He lifted the hood off.

"It's me, Taurtis!"

________________________

"I'm beginning to doubt my work." The voidling paced in the expansion of darkness.

The mystery boy bit his lip. "It's not like we can do anything at the moment. Either way, your skills are gonna come in clutch. The only thing to doubt will be the hacking with the death message system."

"Yeah yeah, I know. I just hope we'll be able to fix this mess you've made, accidental or not." The voidling sat down with a huff. "What I'm mostly worried about is Xisuma. If by chance he bleeds out before-"

"From my research, one of the members of the rescue team is a skilled healer, so hopefully that won't be probable."

"I know, I'm just worried for him. I..." The voidling sighed. "I miss him."

_____________________________

"But how!? You- you perma'd years ago!" Grian exclaimed, an unsettling feeling dropping in his chest.

Taurtis laughed bitterly. "The old Taurtis perma-died. I on the other hand, did not."

"What do you-"

"Since then, I've bided my time, promising to hurt you, to make you feel what I did."

Grian took a step forward. "Wait! I dont- I don't understand! I-"

"I even got help from our old schoolmate, accessing a hardcore server, making a plan, even planting that crystal in your precious book. Sure, things went wrong, but we adapted, with the sole intent of seeing the look on your face when I take away something important to you!" Taurtis snarled, grabbing Xisuma by the neck and lifting him up.

"Taurtis wait, we can talk about this-"

"Don't try that with me! There is no talking about anything! All that's left is to act, to finish this." Taurtis moved so Xisuma was dangling over the void. "To complete my sole purpose."

And without any further words, Taurtis opened his hand, and dropped Xisuma.

-

Suddenly, Grian could move again. He didn't even think, just acted on instinct and sheer terror. He sprinted the the cliff and leapt off, tucking in his wings in order to fall faster.

"X! Grab my hand!" Grian shouted, his voice almost lost to the wind. Xisuma frantically reached out a hand, straining to grab on. "C'mon X, I've got you!" Grian yelled, his fingers brushing the Admins. And then moments later, their fingers were connected. Grian pulled Xisuma up until they were hugging, and opened up his wings.

Just as he was about to flap upwards, a sharp pain rippled through him. No more than a second later, it happened again. Grian struggled the flap his wings, struggling to make his way up, but the void was too strong.

Grian was just about to give up when he heard rockets. He saw a familiar face rocked down towards him, grabbing Xisuma's other arm and frantically spamming rockets like his life depended on it - which it did.

Then they were finally moving upwards, barely reaching the cliff, which Mumbo managed to weakly grip. Luckily the other Hermits were there, pulling them up.

Grian collapsed on the endstone, coughing. His wings felt sore, and his lungs were burning. But he'd made it.

Right?

_____________________

T̓͌͟Ᏼ̟᷁ᚨỤ̥̃̌r̩̄͢tަ͏᷉i̧̥̍s̩ͫ͡ glowered, disgusted at the scene before him. All that preparation for nothing. All that time, all that preparation gone to waste. It wasn't worth the work of killing his host so he could take the body for himself.

But this didn't have to go to waste. If he couldn't have Grian's despair, then he'd take the despair of everyone he loved.

Reaching into his inventory, T̓͌͟Ᏼ̟᷁ᚨỤ̥̃̌r̩̄͢tަ͏᷉i̧̥̍s̩ͫ͡ retrieved his spear and ran forwards, impaling Grian's wing.

Grian shrieked, stumbling backwards in his panic.

Stumbling right off the cliff.

_______________________

"Guys we did it! We actually did it!" Ren sobbed, handling Stress another healing potion. 

The team let out sighs of relief, finally beginning to relax until...

Scar sat up, eyes wide and panicky, and shrieked out a single word.

"GRIAN!"

___________________

Well uh... I'm just gonna...*Runs away bc I know the comments will be after my ankles*