WOOO BET YOU DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE ME HERE!

Yeah lads, im back! Back to write junk! Sorry I've been gone so long, the DSMP fandom is really somethin else lmao

I'm kind of getting back into HermitCraft again and I really felt the urge to continue writing this book.

Any typos are because I'm using a laptop and I no longer have autocorrect and I missed them reading through/was too lazy to fix, my phone died and I cant use it rip-

Anyway, on with the fic!

__ __ __

Vex hadn't had visitors from the HermitCraft server for a while.

Sure, sometimes Scar would come along to clean up the statue, and Cub would come along for some advice on something, but usually, he travelled via other statues that were connected. That was how he got around. He wasn't usually busy in the network, however, as the number of vexes were dwindling more and more. Most of his time was spent wandering around the place he was considered God, or visiting the HermitCraft server. Cub and Scar has always been two people he liked talking to.

Scar was always so kind and thoughtful, even taking the time to decorate the small cave with purple carpets, and just general things that made it feel more homely. The day Cub brought Scar to him to initiate him, he knew he was going to like Scar.

Cub was born within the ConVex. He was smart, and knew how things worked. However, an annoying habit that he held was calling Vex 'Sir'. He had told him time and time again to just call him Vex, but Cub still insisted. He liked Cub as well. 

At this point, he had memorised every chip in the stone walls, every place the rock jutted out suddenly. It may have seemed odd, to visit such a place when there was essentially no point to. However, this place felt special. Besides, he owed it to someone. Most of the time, he was alone, but knowing that the one person was safe? It was enough for him.

So, it was very surprising to him that when he was thinking, staring at the stone walls, that he heard footsteps coming down the stairwell.

A face came into view.

A face that he had not seen for many years.

The dull grey hair, that was more blue, and the eyes, the right once again being a dull blue, almost purple, and the right being a pure black. Markings stretched down his cheeks, almost like tears. The person wore a dull purple jacket, with dull blue jeans. His whole aesthetic seemed to be rather dull, consisting of toned down colours. A messy beard pulled everything together. A faint glow came from the figure.

He'd know that face anywhere.

"Iren...?"

"Oh, fantastic, you remember me, that's just swell." Iren dryly stated, looking up at the statue. Vex felt a wave of guilt tear through him.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, so no 'Oh hi Iren, its been about 30 years, how are you'? No 'How has it been being a spirit'? Just 'Why are you here'? That is very rude. Almost as rude as taking my mortal body!"

"Iren, you know I didn't want to do that... I had no choice."

"Oh, yes, because the God of the ConVex didn't have a choice!" Iren threw his hands up, scowling.

"You attacked two people and almost killed one of them."

"Of course you'd believe that."

Iren stared at the statue, before shaking himself from his gaze.

"Agh, no matter, stop the chatting! That isn't why I'm here." A sinister look crossed his face. He called out, in a sickeningly cheerful way, "Oh, X?"

Don't think Vex couldn't see the string, trailing all the way out of the door. The entire conversation, he had been wondering how to bring it up,

Two figures entered the room. He didn't recognise them physically, but Scar and Cub had mentioned an 'Xisuma' multiple times during their visits. One was tied to Iren, the poor man looked so confused and scared. The other figure was almost an exact replica, obviously being a human. However, they were fully grey, with just their eyes being a pure, electric blue. No whites or pupil. They stared forwards with no goal or ambition, an empty shell waiting for a command. 

"Oh, gods, Iren..."

Iren cackled with glee, "I think they're pretty cool! Like, it's like a miniature army! Awesome, don't you think?"

"What have you done?!"

His head tilted, much like a puppy. "Well, it's obvious what I've done. I stole his body and made it my own personal soldier. Surely, a god should be able to make an assumption like that."

The statue stared.

"You're sick."

"Okay, cool, tell me something I don't know." A halfhearted shrug. "Wait, hold on, that makes me wonder..." A grin grew on his face. "Oh, if this works, this will be amazing!"

Before Vex could even question what Iren was doing, the spirit had disappeared, and the spirit of Xisuma along with him.

~ ~ ~

Heyyyyy, Vexy~

Oh, gods, Iren, no-

You don't mind if I just take this, right?

Don't do this- How are you even doing this?!

Something something, gonna steal your powers, something something, I'm a vex too, I dunno, really, this might not even work.

Iren, think about this for once in your life! This isn't going to help anything, this is just putting yourself through more pain you could have been free of years ago!

Hmph. Sorry, I don't listen to body snatchers.

Iren, come on, you don't have to do this-

Ehhh, nah, I'm pretty sure I do.

Iren, wait-!

See you around, old friend.

~ ~ ~

Iren blinked once. Twice.

He was still in the room.

It was cold. 

It was cold.

He was cold.

He blinked a third time, reaching towards the stone wall.

Cold under his hand, rough, sharp, hard, it was-

He could feel it.

After so long of not being able to feel anything, not being able to feel cold or warm or feel walls or even lean against certain things for fear of falling through-

He was human.

He looked down at his hands, no longer did they have a blueish tint to it, and no longer could he see the floor through his barely transparent hands.

He had his body back.

"Oh my gods, this is... this is great!" He was still hardly able to believe it! After all these years, he finally had his body back, he could feel, he could touch, he could breathe in and feel the cold air-

He felt stronger than ever.

He turned around to gloat about his victory, but-

The diamonds in the statue's eyes were grey. You could hardly tell that they weren't just another part of the statue, made out of stone. But, that wasn't what scared him.

An man was laying on the floor.

He was turned on his side, eyes closed tight, and for a moment Iren thought he wasn't breathing. However, the small rise and fall of the man's chest soothed his concerns. He sighed in relief.

"What did you do..."

A small voice chimed in behind him.

"Gods, I forgot you were here." Iren huffed at the spirit of X, who looked... it was a mixture of shock, confusion and fear. "I stole the old man's powers!"

Iren turned back to the pathetic form of Vex, who was strewn across the stone.

He should have left, but... 

He couldn't.

Iren swallowed, and slowly approached the sleeping form. He would surely be okay, he would surely survive. He knelt down, and lifted the man up, he was limp in his arms, and lighter than Iren would have expected. 

He said nothing as he moved the body from the cold stone floor to the soft purple carpets in the centre of the room. 

He said nothing as he lay Vex down in a position that was more comfortable than his previous one. 

He said nothing as he extended a hand to Vex's arm.

He said nothing as he pulled away before he touched him again, like he burnt him.

He stood.

"I'm just- Making it more dignified for the old man, you know? He's already lost his powers, can't have him be feeling too embarrassed and all that, right? Hah..." Iren explained to no one but himself. 

X got the feeling he was just trying to convince himself.

Iren turned away, and smirked, before walking up to the stone stairs.

"Come on, now, X. I think we have some friends to see again."

They left without a second though, the poor spirit attached to Iren following along against his will, with his body following the two.

X did not miss the way Iren looked back once they got to the top of the stairs.

He did not miss the regret in Iren's eyes.

It was gone before he was even sure he saw it at all.

-- -- --

I HAVE GRACED YOU ALL WITH AN UPDATE
In all seriousness, I am very sorry for not updating for *checks watch* 5 months? Yikes.

I will be finishing this series no matter how long it takes >:L

I am very inspired right now and am very happy that I got this chapter out! Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! 

Once more, big thanks to @ausforyou as they have helped me plan out a LOT of this series (okay. all of it) and I really appreciate it, go give them some love  because they deserve it <3