The vex was unsure how long he'd been trapped here.

Time was a fickle thing, though it seemed much more unstable in this world. With no sun or light, it was impossible to tell how many days had passed since Mumbo arrived in the void. It felt like he was banned just yesterday, but that was impossible! Right? The stubble that grew on his chin told the Brit that much more time had passed, yet his brain couldn't catch up. It could have been years, and he wouldn't have known.

This realm wasn't what he thought it would be. Mumbo thought it would be like the void in the end, yet it felt entirely different. He couldn't explain it, the only real difference from the two being that he could actually walk around here. At least he wasn't falling endlessly, like in the end. Still, it felt...odd. Maybe he was just losing his mind.

At times, he could have sworn he saw faces in the shadows. He could have sworn he heard voices that called out to him. Yet it was always the shadows, playing tricks on him. Grian was nowhere to be found, but the void always made the redstoner believe that he was just out of reach. Mumbo didn't know what he would when he found the Brit, they were both stuck here until Scar showed a bit of mercy, which would probably never happen...

Grian was probably so alone. So scared. His closest friends betrayed him, leaving him in the void to rot alone. The vex just wanted to hold him and whisper that everything would be okay, he wanted to apologize over and over again. Grian didn't deserve this fate. He didn't deserve to be stuck in this world forever.

It was freezing here, but Mumbo was lucky enough to have a bit of his magic left to keep himself warm. He was able to form a small flame in the palm of his hand, though it wouldn't be long before the fire would die out. The mustached hermit barely any energy left, since he had been walking through the void for who knows how long. Though he was hopeful that the small fire would somehow catch Grian's attention, wherever he may be.

His legs were aching, begging for a moment of rest, but he couldn't bring himself to take a break. Mumbo would rest when Grian was safe, or when he was dead. And truthfully, the Brit was afraid that he would die here. If he were to lay down and rest, he may never wake up again. Was it possible to die in the void? He wasn't sure...

Maybe Grian was dead. Maybe they would never see each other again. Maybe the void was so vast, that it could take years before they found one another. That didn't stop Mumbo. He would find Grian, even if it cost his life. He wasn't going to stop until the builder was safe in his arms.

They could run away together, escaping the void to join a new server. It would be just them so no one could hurt or ban them ever again. They could start a new life, just him and Grian, forever. Scar definitely doesn't want the two Brits to return, especially since they both caused rebellions against HEP and the vexes. The likelihood of ever seeing the hermits again was...impossible, really.

As Mumbo continued to lose himself in his thoughts, walking further and further through the void, his eyes caught a glimpse of something coming from behind. His body whirled around, eyes widening at the sudden burst of light. The vex had to lift his arm up to block the brightness in front of him, he had gotten used to the small flame as the only source of his light.

"G-Grian?!" He choked out a cry, his voice hoarse after not speaking for weeks (at least, he thought it had been weeks). Mumbo ran towards the light, his eyes squinting at the blurry figures standing on the other side.

He couldn't make out any details, but there were three of them, which caused a sour feeling to twist the Brit's stomach into knots. He slowed down, stopping a bit away from the light. As his eyes adjusted, the figures became clearer. Bdubs, Xisuma, and Scar.

Mumbo could have sworn he saw red.

Scar was the one who put him here.

Scar was the one who put Grian here.

"YOU!" Mumbo yelled with rage, his eyes glowing blue with vex magic. "WHERE IS GRIAN?!"

"Mumbo, calm down.." Xisuma spoke up, his voice kind and reassuring. The redstoner couldn't listen, he was too angry. Scar deserved to suffer, just like how Grian suffered!

Pinning the mayor to the ground, the Brit found himself growling like an animal. His claws were digging through Scar's clothes, beginning to pierce his skin. Mumbo wanted to feel his blood. He wanted to hear screams of pain. He wanted revenge.

"GET OFF HIM!" Bdubs yelled, tackling the mustached hermit. The mayor's assistance let out his own sort of growl, which must have been a vex thing. Now Mumbo was the one pinned to the floor, though he thrashed and growled in an attempt to free himself.

"Both of you, stop it!" The admin snapped, magic surrounding the two vexes. They were pulled off one another and lifted into the air, the two frozen in a light blue aura to prevent any more violence.

"Let me go, X.." He said with a low growl. "Scar needs to PAY for everything he's done!"

"No, Mumbo. You don't understa—"

"What don't I understand, Xisuma? Scar banned Grian and tortured the mycelium resistance! And he brainwashed all of HEP to think that it was okay!" Mumbo argued, "I want him to understand just how much we all suffered!"

"I'm not a vex anymore." The mayor stepped forward, his voice causing the room to fall silent. "I was corrupt with power, but now I'm human...I think..." he muttered the last part underneath his breath, before shaking his head. "I want to fix things, Mumbo. I want to change all the hermits back to normal. But we need your help."

Mumbo glanced from Bdubs to Xisuma, taking a quick moment to think. "Unban Grian, then I'll consider helping."

"I was already planning on it." He said with a kind smile behind his helmet, typing something onto the floating admin panel. A portal opened up, identical to the one that the redstoner walked through to return to hermitcraft.

Slowly, he was lowered to the ground. Mumbo glanced into the dark void, a figure sitting in the darkness. He could feel his eyes water at the sight, the vex rushing into the void without a second thought. Grian's eyes widened in horror, his body frozen in place. The mustached hermit knelt beside him, before suddenly he was being hugged.

"Mu—...Mumbo..?" Grian mumbled weakly.

"Yes, yes! I'm here to bring you back home! I can't even begin to describe just how sorry I am, I-I should have protected you! I shouldn't have let Scar ban you like you were nothing!" He sobbed, hugging the shorter male tighter than ever before.

"I-it's okay, Mumbo. I know that wasn't you back then. I'm glad that you're back to...normal." The builder said reluctantly, since Mumbo was still technically a vex hybrid.

"It's not okay! I should have fought against Scar and his power sooner! I should have protected you!"

"Hey, hey.. that wasn't you making all those decisions, it was Scar controlling you. I know that you wouldn't have let that happen if you were yourself."

"Well, I'll make sure that it won't happen again. I'm going to protect you from all the other vexes, okay? No one is going to hurt or ban you anymore.." The redstoner muttered in a whisper, pressing a soft kiss to Grian's forehead.

The smaller hermit blushed, his heart beginning to race at the sudden affection. Mumbo lifted him off the ground, his embrace warm and comfortable. Grian had been freezing for who knows how long, not to mention how exhausted he was, so it didn't take much time for him to pass out. The vex smiled at the sleeping Brit in his arms, his wings fluttering out of joy. Finally, he had Grian back.

He carried the builder back through the portal, which then closed behind him. "Alright," Mumbo said, glancing between the three hermits. "What can I do to help?"

"You can start by running," Scar said with a serious expression. "I need you to go to Doc's base and search for any blueprints he may have. Then run as fast and as far as you can. Doc was the only one who knew how to create a machine that removed vex magic, if you can somehow recreate it, then we can fix everything."

"Alright, so I just need to rebuild a machine? That sounds simple enough.."

"Well, you can't let anyone see you." Xisuma spoke up, "Cub didn't want you or Grian to be unbanned. He thought you would only cause trouble. If he finds out that you two are back on the server, you could suffer a worse fate than being banned..."

Mumbo glanced down at the builder in his arms, his heart skipping a beat. "I won't let that happen." He said confidently, "I'll do my best to recreate the machine, but it may take some time if I can't find the blueprints.."

"Just hurry. The shopping district is swarming with vexes, so I'll take you to Doc's base." The admin said, placing a hand on the redstoner's shoulder. Within a moment, the three vanished without a trace.

Scar let out an exhausted sigh of relief, stumbling over to his bed. He was weaker than ever before, making it near-impossible to stand for a long amount of time. Bdubs was taking care of him, but... it wasn't enough.

He was getting worse without his vex magic.

He would die without his vex magic.

"You okay?" His assistant spoke up, laying down in bed next to the mayor. There was no answer.

"Bdubs, what are we?" Scar asked after a long few moments in silence, turning his head to meet the vex's gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"Are we...dating? Are we friends? Is there really anything between us, or did I just brainwash you to love me?"

Bdubs frowned at that, sitting upright in bed. "Hey, we already talked about this. I loved you the moment we started campaigning together." He said reassuringly, wrapping an arm around Scar to pull him closer. However, he pushed away.

"N-no. What if that isn't real? What if I put those memories into your head?"

At this point, he was starting to cry out of distress. "Scar, I love you." He said, taking the mayor by the hand. "And if that's not real, I don't know what is. You're amazing! How could someone not love you?"

"Because of what I did." The terraformer mumbled, his eyes glued to the blankets to avoid looking at Bdubs. "I'm a monster. I hurt everyone. Just like Mumbo said."

"Is that why you're so upset? Mumbo doesn't know what he's talking about! He's just mad that he was banned for a little while."

"Nono, that's not it..." Scar's voice trailed off as he looked out the window, before shaking his head. "N-nevermind, it was stupid."

"Nothing you think of is stupid." He hummed, cuddling up against the mayor before kissing his cheek.

There was silence again, and for a long while it stayed like that. Scar was lost in his thoughts for the most part, his mind wandering. "I think..." he hesitated, breaking the silence as he spoke. "I think I want to be your boyfriend, Bdubs."

"I think I want that too."

His heart fluttered with joy, Scar's eyes closing as he felt Bdubs cuddle up against him. He knew that he wouldn't survive much longer, only a couple more weeks at most. But at least he had his boyfriend by his side now.