"Zedaph's down." The words buzzed through everyone's communicator, the words coming from Xisuma, indicating that he'd found the spot Zedaph had fallen from.

Xisumavoid: Are you all free to meet at the shopping district?
Iskall: Yup, gimme a min
Keralis: Sure Shishwammi, just let me get my elytra
Scar: I guess
Xisuma: Grian?
Grian: if you want me there

Iskall mined up his ender chest, pulling out his fireworks and jumping off the ledge, propelling himself towards Town Hall. Xisuma was already there, seeming relieved when Iskall arrived. Keralis landed just a minute later, Scar walking in soon after. Grian arrived about 5 minutes later, hair messy and unkempt and face red and stained with tears. His gaze was empty, unfocused. The four hermits could clearly tell Mumbo's death had taken a toll on the normally bright and bubbly hermit.

"You're late," Iskall snapped, determined not to be manipulated by someone who at this point, he didn't see as a friend. He saw him as a stranger, a monster. Someone who'd proved time and time again how skilled he was at lying and manipulation through small things over the years.

"There was never a set time, I thought I'd be okay," Grian answered, his voice rougher than normal. "I'm sorry," he whispered, backing away unconsciously.

"Sure you are," the swede snorted, turning away to look at Xisuma. "Surely you can't believe this."

"I dunno..." Xisuma shifted uncomfortably. "There's not enough evidence."

"What I find interesting," Scar cut in before Iskall could say something more damaging. "Is if the murderer took so much care in making sure their name didn't appear in chat, why would they slip up so badly to let it appear really obviously?"

"He messed up, and you're acting like this is the only thing. All the evidence points to him! The weapon used to kill Bdubs was similar to the one he showed us before - even the writing on Joe's body was in a language he's shown to understand multiple times! Has he even explained what it means?!"

"Iskall maybe you should-"

"SHOULD WHAT, COOL OFF AND LET EVERYONE ELSE GET PICKED OFF ONE BY ONE AND BELIEVE HIS BULLSHIT?! COOL OFF AND IGNORE THE FACT THAT ME AND MUMBO CAUGHT HIM HACKING INTO THE CODE?! GUESS WHO ENDED UP DEAD NEXT - MUMBO! I'm scared Xisuma, scared I'll be next."

Grian at this point was biting back tears, trying his hardest to not show how vulnerable he really was. "I didn't even change anything..."

"Wait, so you did do it?" Scar asked, his confusion making Grian smile slightly, in a way that could be seen as sadistic. But it was also a sad smile, an effort to hide how destroyed he was feeling.

"I feel like I deserve to know if I'm going to respawn or not," Grian snapped, the anger finally taking hold. "I didn't see a reason why I should've just did nothing when I knew how to check, and I didn't cause any harm."

"Tell that to the 19 hermits dead." Grian visibly flinched, all the anger from a few seconds ago being overwhelmed by raw grief. Seemingly noticing this, Scar rushed over to comfort him, preventing the tears from falling that had fell so many times already in the last week.

"Calm down Grian, it's okay, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," Scar said hurriedly, trying to calm him down as he brought Grian into a shaky hug.

"Don't tell me you're on his side," Iskall scoffed, looking away. "Keralis, you're with me right?" The smaller's breathing grew more ragged and unpredictable when Keralis gave a hesitant nod.

"He has a point Shishwammi..."  Xisuma sighed, giving Grian a resigned look.

"I don't have enough evidence to ban him - anything official like that requires confirmation from a higher up, something that we can't access right now," Xisuma lied, in reality simply not wanting anyone to escape, least of all Grian considering his connections. Not that Grian would be able to do much considering his mental state.

Grian let out a choked sob, turning around as he tried to run towards the ocean without stopping, only to be held back by Scar.

"Just let me run," Grian whispered, hopelessness and helplessness flooding through him, ruling his thoughts and not letting him make logical decisions.

"How far are you running?" Scar asked hesitantly, still clinging to the shorter.

"Can I ever outrun the pain..." was his only response, not even struggling to escape Scar like he was before. "I just want to be happy! Is that too much to ask! Let me live in peace and finally be happy for once in this god-forsaken life!"

Out of absolutely nowhere, two large wings thrust themselves out of his back, catching Scar off-guard and letting Grian escape, tears streaking down his face as he flew desperately away.

"He's playing with you Scar! I doubt he'd care if any of us died!" Iskall told him, so firmly stuck in those beliefs that he truly believed it. He truly believed Grian was the one, he had to be.

"He's in pain Iskall! Do you not see that - don't you see how much this is breaking him!"

"What's the difference between monster and broken?" He cocked his head to the side, his gaze hard and unfazed.

"Iskall, can't you see how much you've changed?" Scar whispered, looking downwards. "I can't stand with you, not like this. Scar turned away, ignoring the desperate shouts coming as he walked away towards the town hall, putting his head in his hands as he sat on the diamond throne, finally letting all the tears fall that he'd been holding back for so long.

It wasn't Grian, he was sure of it, but this whole thing... The people left were fracturing, the friendships developed for years breaking apart and shattering like glass. Fragile glass, always meant to break. Always going to.

With Iskall

It was just him and Xisuma, standing there silently. Keralis had gone just after Scar, leaving Iskall alone with the admin.

"You really think it's Grian who's responsible for this?" He asked hesitantly, but beyond that could be seen a form of glee, but Iskall, too blinded, couldn't see this.

"It has to be."

"But if Grian's the monster, then aren't we all..." he said, his voice trailing off.

"What are you implying Xisuma?"

"If Grian's not the one responsible, wouldn't you have just broken him further, a broken man just hiding the pain losing her another person, but before he can grieve, wrongly blamed for something that was painful enough? And thinking you died hating him, that would be the worst part, right?"

"I'm not going to die," Iskall said firmly," knowing it was a lie but simply wanting to comfort himself. Xisuma's head tilted.

"Are you sure?"

"What are you doing Xisuma-" Iskall panickedly said, automatically moving backwards before reaching the end of the island.

"Nothing... Just say, you knew Grian the best. Did he ever trust you enough to tell you his past?" Iskall shook his head, desperately thinking back to his aversion to iron swords and bedrock patterns. "Thought not, so painful. Broke him completely before he even moved to his second server, much less hermitcraft. How much more would he shatter if two of his best friends died, so quick in succession?"

"He'd probably be driven to something much worse..." Iskall murmured, realising what was about to happen.

"What the hell did you do Xisuma!" Iskall shouted, a mix between terror and anger mixing.

"Put someone in so much pain they begged for death, bring up a few painful memories. So easy to manipulate." Xisuma smiled happily, his mind clearly thinking back to when it happened.

"You're sick," Iskall choked, unable to stutter out more than that considering how close they were.

"I know. That's why I won't care about this." Xisuma smiled, pulling the axe across Iskall's torso, leaving a trail of blood before pulling it back, slashing it through the centre.

Iskall75 was slain by player unregistered

Just gonna leave the original plan for this chapter here

Life connected to palm trees, palm trees get cut down