It started with Mumbo. He was the first to experience the strange voice in the back of his mind.

Most days it was ignored, or simply forgotten due to it's silence. The redstoner tried to say that he was simply exhausted, maybe he was imagining things, but that changed rather quickly. Soon enough, there was a terrible aching in his back, with feathers as black as ink beginning to tear through his skin. It would have been easy enough to hide, though they began to grow around his ears and cheeks later on.

Things had been odd for Iskall as well. They had a similar voice inside of their head, which had appeared only a few days after Mumbo's voice.

Similar to what the tall Brit was experiencing, the voice didn't speak very often. The occasional whisper or temptations in the very back of their mind, though it was simple enough to tune out throughout the day. At night, however, things were different. There was nightmares, horrors in their dreams that seemed to return night. And when morning finally arrived to free them, Iskall would awaken to their body being overgrown by small vines or plants.

Grian was the last to experience strange effects. He never had a voice inside of his head, though something definitely felt odd. Unlike the two other hermits, the builder was stuck with a migraine that wouldn't cease.

Each day it grew worse and worse, sometimes even causing the room to spin or things to go blurry for a couple moments. Even though the effects started slower for Grian, they were quick to expand. While it took a few short weeks for larger effects to impact Mumbo and Iskall, it took the short Brit only a few days to manifest. It caused ink to leak out of his eyes, almost like tears. They would stain the builder's cheeks with black, which burned as it slowly trailed down his cheeks.

It wasn't hard to catch each other with these strange new features. The three had met up for an architect meeting and things eventually came out. By this point, these transformations had began to grow and spread too quickly, making it difficult to hide whatever was happening to them. They shared everything that had happened, from the voices in their heads to the changes they were experiencing.

After that, things only continued to worsen.

—

"We need to tell someone. X, Doc, anyone who might be able to help us. Things are getting worse, guys!"

"Calm down, Grian...We don't need to tell anyone yet. We can still figure things out!" Mumbo assured the shorter Brit, though his deep chocolate eyes were filled with horror and anxiety.

"He's right." Iskall sighed in defeat, shaking their head. "We could get dissected by those Area 77 guys. And X would ban us if we're a large threat to the server. For now, we need to figure things out on our own."

"But they're stronger now. We might not be able to come back to control of ourselves.." Grian worried aloud, tugging and playing with the sleeves of his crimson sweater.

"I know you're worried." The redstoner sighed, taking a seat on the floor next to the builder. "But we can't risk hurting anyone. This...this is the only solution we have so far."

"Locking ourselves in a prison? That's the best we could come up with?" He snapped.

"Okay, it's not the best." The Swede agreed, "But it's far from everyone else and it'll keep those monsters trapped in here."

"Do you really believe that a few layers of obsidian will stop them? They're more powerful than ever now!"

"Grian, please." Mumbo raised his voice a little, causing the shorter male to glance towards the floor. He hugged himself slightly, avoiding eye contact with his fellow architects.

"I'm just...worried." He mumbled sadly, holding back tears in his eyes.

"We all are. But we'll figure this out! We always do." Iskall said with firm assurance.

"Right. We're together and we'll stick with one another until things start to improve." The mustached hermit stated, pulling Grian into a general hug. "Come on, it's late. We should get some rest."

"You know we won't."

"I know."

Mumbo scooped the smaller man into his arms, carrying him towards the center of the room. There were three sleeping bags lined on the obsidian floor, which was definitely going to be an uncomfortable experience. He helped Grian into the makeshift bed, before laying down to get a little amount of sleep.

It didn't take very long for the three to pass out from exhaustion. Sleep had become a very rare thing, so just a short nap was a luxury.

Midnight arrived shortly after the three had managed to slip into their and drift off into a dreamless rest.

That's when it started.

The sound of ripping fabric managed to wake Iskall, who groaned as they sat upright. They rubbed their organic eye in an exhausted manner before glancing over at the other two architects. Mumbo was gone and his sleeping back was suddenly in shreds, causing the Swede to gasp before quickly covering their mouth to prevent another sound. Though it was already too late.

A menacing chuckle managed to break the silence of the room, causing the cyborg to turn towards the laughter. Yellow eyes stared back at them in the shadows, with sharp pupils that were similar to a cat. The creature crawled forward into the light, continuing to laugh like a sociopathic maniac.

It was Mumbo. Or at least, it appeared to be him upon a first glance. Besides his eyes, feathers littered his cheeks and ears of all different sizes, a black color that had a strange sort of shimmer. Along with that he had two massive wings breaking free from his back, with the same color feathers as the ones on his cheeks. His fingers had morphed into bird-like talons, sharp claws replacing his nails.

"Well, well!" He grinned with sharp teeth. "Mr.85! I don't think we've had the opportunity to speak before!"

His wings flapped with excitement, a dark chuckle leaving the hybrid. Iskall was frozen in fear, their body shaking at the sight of their friend with these horrific new features. "Aw, what?" The monster asked, tilting his head to the side with the same sick grin plastered across his face. "Don't you recognize your dear friend Mumbo?"

"G-get away from me." The Swede commanded with a voice that shook from terror. They tried to move away in an attempt to distance themself from the winged beast, though a tug on their ankle caused them to stop.

It was a vine or some sort, which had spouted out from their skin. Iskall had been so terrified that they barely noticed the thorny vine that managed to break free from their ankle. Blood leaked down their foot as the plant began to set its roots down in the obsidian room, firmly holding the hermit in place. They thrashed their leg, attempting to free themselves from the roots, but the plants were stronger.

More managed to break free from their skin, causing screams of agony to fill the room. "Oh, come on." The imposter in Mumbo's body rolled his eyes, swiping a bit of Iskall's blood onto their finger. "It's not that bad. You'll have a couple scars in the morning, but all the pain will be gone!"

The Swede let out a dry sob in response, as the remaining vines and plant life wrapped around their body. It formed some kind of cocoon around them, sealing them inside of a case. They tried to bang their fists against the roots to break free, though it had no effect. After a couple moments, the crying and struggling began to slow, before eventually going completely silent.

"Come on, Fern. No need for the dramatic entrance." The hybrid with wings growled, knocking on the roots.

Plants slightly rumbled, before eventually slithering away from the Swede's body. They were wrapped in vines and plants, completely overtaken by the roots that had grown from their body. 'Fern' stood up, the vines around them seeming to constantly move as if they were a conscious animal.

"Nice to see you're awake already, Crow." He huffed, watching as a vine slithered into his palm before wrapping around each of his fingers. "Ah, much better."

"Come on, let's hurry and wake up Mute so we can get out of here." Crow said to the vine-covered man, walking over to the third sleeping bag.

He bent down, watching as Grian's eyes slowly managed to flutter open. Black goo had replaced his hazel pupils, completely taking over his eyes. They blinked a few times, the strange black substance leaking down their cheeks before dripping onto the floor. There was a faint hiss as the droplets hit the obsidian flooring, with a small hole for where their 'tears' had fallen.

"Good morning, my lovely." The hybrid smiled as he scooped Mute into his arms, causing them to smile happily at the sight of the winged man.

Fern made a fake gag sound. "If I had anything in my stomach right now, I would have thrown it up."

"Oh, you're just mad that you're a lonely piece of garbage." Crow sneered back, hugging his partner close to his chest. "Or maybe you're just hangry."

"Or maybe you're just an idiot." He said, sticking out his tongue in a mocking manner.

Crow opened his mouth to make another snide remark, though there was a tug on his shirt collar. He glanced down at Mute, who stared back at him with eyes that constantly leaked inky black acid. They shook their head, trying to stop things from escalating even further.

"Alright, alright." The bird cooed softly, "I'll play nice for you."

His happy attitude faded as he glanced towards Fern, turning into an annoyed frown. "Come on, let's get something to eat before we eat each other."

"Finally! I'm starved!" Fern agreed, "Mute, do you mind?"

They shook their head, jumping out of Crow's arms. Dabbing their fingers into the tears that ran down their cheeks, Mute fully coated their fingers in the substance. They walked over to one of the obsidian walls, before dragging their hand across the volcanic rock. It began to bubble and foam, reacting in an odd manner. After that, the obsidian began to melt away as if it were nothing.

"Wonderful job, my dear!" Crow clapped his hands together with excitement, Fern rolling his eyes slightly.

"It was fine."

His yellow eyes glared at the man covered in vines, death in his gaze. "It was wonderful."

"Fine." He huffed, "It was 'wonderful', I guess."

Crow opened his arms, causing Mute to run back to him. They were lifted up, carried like a bride by the man with bird wings. "Come on," he said, stepping over the foam and melted obsidian. "There should be some players around here. We can grab some food!"

"Let's hope they're pure blooded. Hybrid blood tastes disgusting." Fern shuttered, causing the one in Mumbo's body to laugh.

"Right, you're a picky eater. We already knew that."

"Plants can't exactly eat meat." He growled defensively, which caused Crow to stop walking and stare at him.

"You have a body." The hybrid pointed out, "You have a mouth. You can actually eat, you know."

"My plants prefer blood. I feed them before I feed this vessel."

"Sure they do." He said while rolling his eyes, before turning his attention back to who he was carrying. "Mute, what would you like to eat first?"

"They can't speak you idiot. They're named Mute for a reason." Fern snapped with annoyance.

"We'll it's still nice to ask. They have opinions too! We just need a book and quill, then they can speak their mind." Crow hummed happily, nuzzling against Mute's cheek. Surprisingly, the strange goo didn't seem to have an effect on him.

"Fiiiine. Can we do that after food?"

Mute nodded, so Crow nodded. "Alright. Let's take a look around, shall we?"

Fern walked over towards a window, tilting his head at the sight. "It doesn't look like anyone is out this late. Maybe they'll be more if we get out of this building."

"This is Sahara." Crow pointed out, causing the man covered in vines to give him a strange look. "What? Do you not pay attention to what our hosts do during the day? This is their meeting room for the business they built."

"You seriously pay attention to that crap?"

"I was able to learn some of their friends names, so I'd say it was pretty useful. Unlike you." He chuckled the insult, causing Fern to cross his arms in annoyance.

"I could kill you right now if I wanted to. But Mute is okay, and I don't wanna see them cry, so I'm pretty much letting you live to be nice!"

"Oh! Why thank you, most humble and gracious Fern! Whatever would I do without you? I am forever indebted!" Crow said with large amounts of exaggeration, before doing a dramatic bow before the man possessing Iskall's body.

"Ugh! Shut up before I reconsider!" He shouted before storming out of the office, causing Mute to smile as their partner giggled.

The three left Sahara and entered the shopping district, none of the alters taking a second glance at the astonishing builds or beautiful landscape. They wandered aimlessly, guided only by the moonlight above them. Monsters and other hostile mobs simply ignored them, not daring to even glance at the possessed hermits.

Mute jumped out of their partner's arms, lifting their nose to the air. After a few moments to breathe in the scenery, they glanced back to Crow and Fern, before shaking their head in disappointment.

"Seriously? No one is here? What about all of this crap?!"

"Calm down," the man with wings said. "I bet there are players somewhere on this server. We just need to find them."

"That's it. I can't wait anymore." Fern growled as his hands balled into fists, the man possessing Iskall storming towards a sheep that was grazing on one of the last pieces of untouched land in the area.

Roots broke out of the ground, ripping through the earth with ease. The animal had little to no time to react before the plant life shoved itself through the sheep's body, tearing it apart from the inside out. Blood splattered across the grass, raining down on the tree. It's body was mauled before being cast aside, thrown onto the ground in favor of its blood.

"Classy," Crow scoffed. "You got blood all over my suit."

"Quit whining. I just got you a free meal. Better hurry before Mute eats it all."

"I'm saving room for a human. Unlike you, I can wait. Plus, I like doing the work, seeing the fear in my victims eyes..."

"Eh. More for us then." Fern shrugged, his roots in the ground seemingly absorbing the blood as if it were water as it began to settle in the dirt. Mute ripped a piece of the sheep's internal organs out, possibly a liver, or maybe a part of its intestines, before happily digging in.

"Come on you two, we can do much better. This is our first night where we're actually free! We were able to take over for brief periods of time, but now we able to hold it for longer. Don't you want to have a hunt? To go out and find prey that will beg and plead, before you watch the life leave its eyes...?" Crow encouraged with a laugh, his wings flapping a little. Mute immediately dropped the sheep organ they had harvested, giving a happy nod.

"Fine. I guess you may have a good point. On problem though. Where are we supposed to find this 'prey' that you're talking about?" Fern huffed.

"I can fly us around the server! And Mute can find someone, can't you?"

They nodded gleefully, sniffing the air to chase the faint smell of human that lurked in the air. They climbed into their partner's arms, before gesturing for Fern to hop onto Crow's back. He grumbled and murmured in annoyance, though eventually climbed on as if he was getting a piggyback ride from the winged man. "Don't drop me," he warned. "Or I'll rip your wings off."

"Save the violence for the first person we find, buddy!" He laughed while flapping his wings, taking a moment to adjust to the added weight before flying off.

Fern tightened his grip on the collar of Crow's shirt, a few of the vines on his hands spreading onto the hybrid. He let out a squawk while stumbling slightly in the air, before glancing over his shoulder with a glare. "Warn me before you wrap those weeds of yours around me!"

"Oh please. And you call me over dramatic." He sneered in response, causing the feathers on the bird's back to puff up from rage. Mute tugged on his tie to turn his attention away from the man covered in plant life, before snuggling up against their partner's chest.

"Come on. We'll all feel better and stop fighting once we get an actual meal. Mute, honey, which way?"

The silent man pointed forward, and Crow flapped his wings to increase speed. His wings blended with the night sky, along with the dark suit that Mumbo wore, making it difficult to spot them soaring overhead. He flew barely above the ocean, which caused Mute to excitedly reach down and drag their fingers against the surface of the water. A black trail of oil leaked out, filling the water with a line of some kind of poison. Fish ended up rising to the surface, their stomachs facing the sky due to the pollution that Mute had caused.

"You're adorable when you kill large amounts of animal life." The winged man said, practically fawning over his partner. He and Mute kissed, causing Fern to verbally gag out of disgust.

"Seriously? Do you two really have to do that right now?"

"Oh come on, planty. You're just mad cause you want some attention."

His face blushed slightly at the comment. "I swear I'm going to strangle you." He then grumbled in anger, crossing his arms before pouting for the rest of the flight.

Crow was fast, even while carrying the other possessed architects. An elytra wouldn't be able to keep up with his speed, making travel a relatively easy trip. He soared over the open seas, following the directions that he was given. Although, even with his speed, it wasn't too bad of a venture.

They managed to reach land after a short trip, or at least spot it from up ahead. It seemed like a large area that was fenced in, along with planes and runways designed around it. "Is that where we can find someone?" Crow asked Mute, who nodded enthusiastically while bouncing up and down in their partner's arms.

"Finally," Fern leaned back. "I'm sick of this. We only have so much time before the actual architects come back to consciousness."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about them. They'll be out for a while.." the hybrid chuckled to himself, before swooping down to land somewhere on the runway.

Just as they were beginning to land, a firework rocket exploded next to Crow, causing him to let out a squawk in panic. His left wing was struck by the projectile, causing a few feathers to burn. "Great.." he muttered through clenched teeth, with his injured wing struggling to keep up.

"What's shooting at us?!"

"I don't know, but they don't seem friendly."

A few more rockets were shot into the sky, a glow of white particles escaping from the fireworks as they exploded. Crow tried to evade them the best he could, though the injuries to his wing were causing his movements to slow. He glanced towards the two figures who were shooting them, only to freeze at the sight of a rocket heading straight forward.

The rocket hit Crow head-first before bursting into a white explosion. He coughed through the smoke, though someone felt off. The winged man tried to shake his head, struggling to fight the urge to slip into unconsciousness. "T-there's something...in the rockets.." he groaned, blinking a few times to keep awake.

"Hurry up and land! Mute and I can handle whoever is down there! But we can't if you kill us in a crash!" Fern yelled.

Crow struggled to find the energy to continue flying, but he managed to dive towards the ground before pulling up at the last moment. The winged man rolled into his side, skidding across the grass from the speed and impact. It was an ugly crash landing, though Fern and Mute both seemed rather unharmed by the fall. The only person who was really hurt was Crow.

"Don't move, you three!" A gruff voice called out to them, running over to the crash site.

One held a flashlight, green eyes staring at them with curiosity. He had scars across his face, with his dusty brown hair falling in his face. The other was far from human, partially a cyborg, but also a creeper of some sorts. He wore a lab coat and had a crossbow loaded with a rocket. His eyes softened slightly when he managed to make out their faces.

"Grian? Iskall? Mumbo? What the hell are you three doing? I mean, I understand Grian, with you and the hippies and everything. But all of Sahara? What the hell—?"

"D-Doc, I don't think that's them." The one with scars pointed out, causing the creeper to look at the three a little closer.

"Heilig—! What on earth?!"

"You two seem like a good snack, just until our friend here can wake up." Fern spat, he and Mute standing in front of Crow, who was now unconscious. "I know, we're not exactly the people you know, but when you're dead, it's not like you can tell anyone."

"They're hostile." Doc said with a grunt to Scar, who pulled out his own crossbow with shaking hands. "Aim to knock them out, not to harm."

Fern jumped out of the way as the rockets were fired, though Mute was hit, causing them to fall to the ground next to Crow. The man covered in vines cussed underneath his breath, straighten his posture as the two hermits approached him. "Alright, now you've made me mad." He growled, his hands balling into fists.

The ground suddenly began to shake, before two roots managed to break free from the ground, they wrapped around Doc and Scar, causing the two to drop their weapons, before lifting them off of the ground. The plants were choking them, crushing their bodies slowly while Fern simply laughed at their struggles.

Doc managed to slip his hand into his pocket, the vine wrapped around him begin to tighten its grip. It felt like he was about to pop. He was losing his breath, though was lucky enough to snag his trident from his coat. The cyborg sliced the weapon through the plant, causing it to release him. He then sliced at the one holding Scar, which dropped him as well.

"Whoever the hell you are—" Doc said out of breath, "—I really don't like you."

Before Fern could respond, the creeper threw his trident, which managed to lodge itself into the possessed hermit's leg. He screeched in pain before collapsing, giving Doc time to scoop his crossbow off of the ground. "You and your friends will be put in a cell until we can figure out what you did with the real architects." He grumbled, before shooting the firework at Fern.

Once the smoke cleared, Fern was unconscious. The two guards of area 77 shared a sigh of relief, before Doc looked at Scar with worry in his organic eye. "Call X. I'll take these three to the deepest cell I can find. Whatever is going on, it isn't good."

Scar nodded, pulling out his communicator before walking off. He glanced back over his shoulder at Doc once he was as safe distance away, before dialing a call on the device.

"Hey."

"I know, I know."

"Yes I know what time it is!"

"Geez, you're a meanie this early."

"Could you just—"

"Cub!"

"..."

"We have a big problem."