'Is everyone here?' I call to the hermits gathered at the top of Sculk-Tower. A few nods. I continue. 'Good... I'm sure we're aware that a few days ago Scar was taken by the sculk to what we assume's the same world Pearl and Ren are in. We need to get them back. Pix, Joe, have you been making progress on finding a way there?'

'I think Scar's disappearance has actually set us back,' admits Joe. 'If it was returning to this world, it would return to where it was before. Decked Out. And how would it know where this tower was anyway?'

'You can travel through nether portals to a different place than you came in.' Cub adds. I nod, unable to look at him without my wings - or lack of - hurting. 'This might be the same. And the Sculk might've figured out locations in this world based on coords or similar there.'

'Because of course the sculk has a communicator or other expert coordificating technology...'

'No. It has Pearl. And it made Pearl do it.' Gem interrupts Tango by realising,

'It can do it again.' Bdubs's eyes widen as he speaks. 'It'll creep up from the ground and take all of us.'

'Don't be ridiculous.' I snap back, hiding my own fear that he's right. 'If we stay high above ground, it can't get us. Surely.' Though, as I speak, being high up is better if you can fly. And to fly I need better... I shake it off. 'We need to speed up on finding how to get to its world. And... I've been thinking. Friends outside the server should...'

'No.' I fall silent at the terror in Impulse's voice. 'Not after Skizz.'

'But...' I try to regain my argument. 'Martyn should be told that Ren has been taken by Sculk... he knows about magic. He led the meeting that... didn't work before. I'm sure he'd be able to help.'

'And will you believe that when he gets killed? External help hasn't been the best for us,'

'Impulse, it's ok...'

'EX and Pix have been essential to helping defeat the sculk. Martyn knows what he's doing when it comes to weird evil magic. And him and Ren are really good friends. We should at least tell him.'

'We can't just keep bringing in whoever we can find outside the server! It's putting them in danger! And Badtimes abandoned us last time after causing Ren and Pearl to end up in the sculk-world. And EX isn't even here!'

I don't reply. EX hasn't been seen since Scar was taken.

'That... fine... but I'm still talking to Martyn. Is there anything else anyone needs to do before we fight the sculk?' No one replies, but I see Jevin muttering something to Cub, who keeps refusing until...

'Cub needs to get his magic back.' Jevin speaks.

'SERIOUSLY JEVIN?!' I flinch, grabbing the hand of the emotional-support Mumbo next to me. 'I... Sorry. yes, Jevin's right. I need to go to the Vex Lands to sort out some... stuff.'

'That's fine... if that's all, we'll meet back here when we have a way to the Sculk-World. Or if anything else happens first.'

We all disperse. I realise too late I'm still holding Mumbo's hand, letting go.

'Grian, are you doing alright?'

'I'm fine. Just... recovering still. How's... wing stuff?' 

'It's nearly done.' Mumbo explains. 'Iskall and Doc are confident everything works, they just need to assemble it all and make it look good. In the meantime... don't do anything stupid. And stop trying to jump off high buildings. Take it easy.'

'I can't. EX has basically abandoned his role as leader, Scar's gone and no one else is going to step up to take their place.'

'Talk to him.'

'He'll get mad.'

'He... might not?'

'I don't know... I'll decide.' I sigh, backing towards the door. 'See you around, Mumbo.'

'Bye, Grian.'

I know Mumbo's right even as I leave the tower. Someone needs to look after the server when I'm talking to Martyn. And EX needs to grant them access to the server anyway. So I head to Scarland where he's staying, call his name and...

'F*** OFF!'

'EX? I JUST WANT TO TALK!'

'I DON'T! F*** OFF!'

I continue refusing his demands, entering the hotel, and what I think used to be Scott's room.

I have seconds to take in his shabby clothes, tangled hair and almost skeletal appearance before he storms towards me, pinning me to the wall.

Pain.

'EX please- EX please!' I repeat, over and over as the burning, crushing, endless pain in my wings returns, the inability to move. Like when Cub was trapping me. To possess me. Before... 

He lets go.

I slide to the ground, panting, heart racing, tears in my eyes, staring at the ground eyes closed as I fight memories of sculk.

'I told you. F*** off.'

'You need help.'

'I DON'T! I'm FINE! EVERYTHING'S FINE!' I glance up, not moving, as he thunders across the room strewn with broken objects. 'My LIFE is FINE!'

'EX, seriously... I just want to talk to you. You're lonely.'

'I SAID I'M FINE!'

Crash.

He flips the table in front of him, everything falling. I back flat against the wall. Every instinct tells me to GO. But I can't let EX live like this.

'Please...' I barely choke out, fighting tears 'EX please... just 5 minutes.'

'I'm fine. Everything's fine. Everything is fine.' But he's growing less angry and more upset, just standing helpless among the destruction he caused, before falling to the floor and sobbing.

'EX...' I crawl slowly closer. He looks up at me, purple eyes surrounded by the black rings of unending sleepless nights. 'It's ok. Everyone's allowed to be upset. As long as they know when they need help getting out of it. And...' I take in the chaos again. 'This looks like you need a little bit of help.'

'How?' He mutters back. 'How do you lead? When everything's falling apart and turning to s*** around you, how to you lie to everyone and get them to believe everything will be ok enough for them to do what you say?'

'You... You...' I try to remember the hardest moments in charge. The moments of the Watchers, and destruction, and death. 'You let them see you're human too. You don't act like you're better or worse than anyone. You try to help but... accept help too...' Everything I've learnt tumbles out in a stream of words and adrenaline. He moves. I back away, until I'm pulled into a hug.

'Thank you. Thank you Grian. I... oh Hels I'm f***ing s*** at this...'

'You're not. Scar told me you were incredible.'

'Scar's better than I'll ever be.'

'Then you owe it to Scar to be your best self... come on.' I stand, helping EX to his feet. He doesn't speak. 'We'll start small and fix up here.'

'And then?' 

'Then we'll try to fix the server.'

This book is fun

:)