Grian winced as sunlight filtered in and blinked awake. He stretched and noticed he was human again. Or... had he not changed at all last night? He wasn't really sure but he noticed he didn't have his sweater on. He pulled the blanket around him and looked around, spotting it folded neatly on a chest with some potions of healing.

He smiled a little and drank the potions before pulling his shirt on, mumbling about how warm it was.

He looked around and frowned when he didn't see Mumbo in the room. "Oh no." He quickly got up and started to move towards the door when Mumbo entered.

"Oh! Grian! You're up! How are you feeling?"

Grian sighed in relief seeing Mumbo was here. "I'm alright. Thanks for the potions."

Mumbo smiled, though it looked a little forced. "You're welcome."

Grian tilted his head. "Are you okay? Where were you?"

Mumbo's smile dropped as he sighed. "I went to your base."

"What?! Mumbo I told you not to!"

"I'm fine Grian. Though... I'm not so sure about Xel. He seemed really out of it and confused. I'd give him a couple of minutes until we try going back."

Grian sighed before slowly nodding. "Right."

About fifteen minutes later, Mumbo's mail went off.

They glanced at each other and moved towards the mailbox.

Mumbo opened it and read the letter. "It's from Sally... I think."

"What's it say?" Grian asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Uh... I can't read it." Mumbo answered passing it to Grian who took it.

"Oh. Chicken scratch." Grian commented as he stared at it.

A moment later another came though.

Mumbo pulled it out. "Oh. It's from Xel. He says we can come back now and he's really sorry for what happened. He says he wants to explain."

Grian looked over at it with a small frown before nodding. "Okay."

"Do you want me to come too?"

Grian hesitated but shook his head. "No. Let me talk to him first."

Mumbo nodded. "Alright Gri. Be careful."

Grian nodded and took off. 

--------------------------------------------------------

Xel was pacing around the room. It had been a couple of minutes since he had come out of his episode and realized what he had done. Sally had convinced him to write to Mumbo and let them come to him instead of the other way around.

So here he was pacing, waiting anxiously for them. Or at least Grian. He couldn't believe he messed up so badly... Hurting Grian like that... He sighed. He wouldn't blame him if he didn't want him to stay around anymore...

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a rocket going off and the sound of someone landing.

He turned around to see Grian standing across the room from him.

He started to move forward but stopped in hesitation. "...Grian..."

Grian watched him before slowly stepping forward. "Xel...?"

Xel nodded. "Yeah. I'm back... Grian, I'm so sorry! I didn't think that I'd hurt you or I would have said something, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Xelqua."

Xel stopped and looked up at him.

Grian hesitated before taking a deep breath. "I... I know you weren't yourself. But..." he sighed and met Xel's eyes, or at least he hoped he did.

"You said some things that I have questions about now, Xelqua, if that's even your name."

Xel flinched a little but nodded. "I... I understand..."

"But. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Grian finished.

Xel stared at him for a long time before sighing and shaking his head. "No. You deserve answers."

Grian watched him move to sit on the bed and slowly came over to join him on his own bed.

"Well... Where do you want me to start?" He asked.

"The beginning?" Grian offered. "If that's a good place for you..."

Xel hesitated in thought before nodding. "Alright. There's a lot to cover so, get comfortable."

He took a deep breath as he started. "Well. It started when I was flying over the ocean through a dark storm trying to get back to my base when my elytra broke..."

-----

"I woke up on a beach with a broken phone and mouth full of seawater," He watches Grian shudder in remembrance of the taste. "And met Sally," who had joined him on the bed. "And discovered the island had no form of wood anywhere,"

----

"About a week later, I was still waiting but losing hope. I still had my recording glasses so I decided to try to entertain myself and started talking with Sally, who I couldn't understand at the time,"

----

"-As months went by I ran out of concrete powder and my tools were about to fall a part in my hands. I was desperate for wood and had convinced myself no one was looking for me anymore and Sally was my only friend now-"

----

"I got to the point I would talk to Sally without her even being there. I was mining one day when I discovered my life saver. A mineshaft," He chuckled. "I never cried over something like wood so much-"

-----

"My pick broke after having served me so well and I crafted a new stone one. I continued onward after gathering as much wood as I could and discovered the next thing that helped save me... A zombie spawner." He smiled a little before frowning. "I was so happy to be able to fix my elytra but... My thoughts drifted back home... To those who had abandoned me... and left me to die... And to thoughts of revenge..."

----

"I watched as they held a funeral for me. Listened as they wept for me as I watched from the statute of me they had built as a memorial. As Doc finished his speech and headed down to the others, I threw eggs at him. I declared myself Poultry Man that day..." He watched Grian's expressions at the mention of Doc but silently thanked him for not interrupting.

----

"I had landed at the Statute of Hermitity with Sally when I was approached by False, who claimed she wanted to talk," He scoffed. "With a sword maybe but I quickly took off and escaped her."

----

"Weeks passed, and I continued to attack them ruthlessly. I watched as they just mindlessly murdered dozens of young chickens... It hurt to know I was dead to them. So I decided they'd be dead to me too... "

-----

Xel sighed as he took a break for air. "Not much later, Mumbo found out who I was. He found me at Tango's shop, stealing fireworks and chased me all the way to the G-Team base where he ended up cornering me and Sally. I... I ran. I tried hard to get away from him... from my past. But... He called my name. He told me how much they missed me... and how they searched for so long... but I didn't believe him..." He took a shaky breath.

"He got mad at me but when he reached me, his gaze softened... I spaced out. The next thing I knew, I was unmasked, standing before him... I was terrified. I couldn't talk about it yet... But he offered to help anyway. When I was "Ready to come back" as me, he said... I told him I couldn't come back... that I didn't want to come back... Explained how the person he was looking for died with his sanity and hope on an island with no trees...." He closed his eyes, shaking a little but relaxing as Sally pressed against him.

"He asked if I was staying as Poultry Man and informed me that False and Iskall were planning to unmask me, which was news to me. Sally wanted me to stay. I did think about it. I really did... But I refused. I introduced Mumbo formally to Sally and had the first burst of true happiness and laughter in a very long time... " He smiled faintly at the memory before sighing. "I... I still am not sure what of that was real or fake, if any, but it was comforting... Then I had an idea." He looked up at the ceiling. "I asked him to come back with us... It hurt when he said he couldn't. But he promised to wait for me if I ever returned... to which I told him not to. I wouldn't be back..."

He felt tears run down his cheeks. "We bid each other goodbye with the first and last human hug I had in a very long time... and we parted ways." He sighed. "I flew all the way back to the island with Sally, an extra elytra, rockets, and saplings. Changed my name to Xelqua. I thought that was where we'd be for the rest of our lives..." He smiled a little. "Fate had other plans." He turned to Grian. "A rift opened. Sally and I were unsure of it but after a discussion and thinking about it, we packed up everything we'd need and passed through it. And boy, were we surprised to find ourselves in another world... One where I found I was invisible... and one where we found you."

Grian blinked in surprise. "What? What do you mean? Hermitcraft?"

Xel shook his head. "No. I believe you called it Evo."

Grian gaped at him in shock. "No way. That's not possible!"

Xel chuckled. "I would try to talk to your friends but they always thought it was you,"

"That's why they kept asking if I said something... wait." Grian looked at him. "Why would they mistake you for me? ..... Unless..."

Xel sighed softly. He had pulled his helmet out of his inventory and placed it on and nodded as he stood and hesitantly offered his gloved hand. "My name is Grian but I now go by Xelqua. It's nice to formally meet you, I suppose." He chuckled before standing straight, still offering his hand.

Grian stared at it for a while in shock before slowly standing up and looking at him.

Xel was tense and unsure of what was about to happen but was caught completely off guard by Grian throwing himself around him in a hug. "Gr-Gri??"

Grian looked up at him and smiled, tears in his eyes. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Even if you are me from another world or timeline or whatever!" He beamed. "Welcome to your new home." He muttered.

Xel stared at him before slowly wrapping his arms around Grian and holding him close, tears starting to run again. "...Thank you. I-I... Thank you, Grian.... I'm happy to be home..."

(And now you have the big reveal! Xel is actually a slightly different Icarus!Grian from Becca's Icarus AU story! We are collaborating with Xel now so check her out for more stories with him. As far as I know there will be two. One isn't to be released until next chapter but it should be up soon if this writing keeps up. And thanks. For adopting Xel and Sally so willingly. Becca pointed out he's kind of like an OC but with him in the lore he feels natural almost. So thank you all for loving this boy almost as much as I do. And of course, thanks for sticking around and reading. ~Molly)